The Dark Knight of Chiba: Knightfall
by BlackPsych
Summary: Sequel to 502nickster's "The Dark Knight of Chiba". After toppling the city's most vicious crime family, Hachiman's internal drive and means of greater power sets his alter-ego, the Huntsman, on a questionable path. Timing couldn't be worse as he resolves to ease his guilt over a certain Yukinoshita and beyond, all while the remaining evils of Chiba surround the young vigilante.
1. Red Dragon

**This is the long-awaited direct sequel to 502nickster's "The Dark Knight of Chiba" which is a MUST read before going into this story. **

**Picks up after the events of Chapter 52 (end) & 55 (monologue).**

**Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 1: Red Dragon

Tsurumi Rumi couldn't help it, she _had_ to see the end of her beloved superhero franchise from the West. Like any ten year old child, the girl begged her parents everyday to take her out for the film's midnight premiere. She proved herself to be just as stubborn as her father; there would be no better time to see the movie than the night of its worldwide debut.

If there ever was a time she'd act selfish, it would be on this matter alone.

Countless movie buffs anticipated it to be the year's biggest blockbuster film, going so far as to call it the "end of an era". That particular market-based exaggeration resonated well with the Japanese population. It must have been fate that their country formally entered the "Reiwa Era" in the same time-frame, promoting peace and harmony under a cultural order.

Recent disastrous events in Chiba led many to think of this sentiment as a cruel irony. Nonetheless, they were more than keen to drown their senses with forms of escapism.

By consuming 'cape and cowl' entertainment, however, it wasn't unreasonable to say many were subconsciously holding out for a hero to lift them out of the abyss. Perhaps this doomed foreboding was a worldwide phenomenon.

The stars of the film have been lionized and put on pedestals as a result. Most media outlets and fans hung on every word they've spoken for the past year. Everyone seeking a resolution.

There was no doubt that everyone at school would continue talking about it after—and little Rumi wanted to see it before anyone else. To finally be one of _those_ kids at school, doling out smug smiles and speaking arbitrary hints related to the events of the film.

_All in good nature, of course._

On a side note, perhaps this was a chance for the lonely girl to gain a friend or two out of finally having a common topic of interest? Due to a badly timed cold, Rumi missed her shot when the film was initially announced. The girl was also too nervous to join any later conversations in class.

Being one of the first to see the film and talk about the experience would ultimately make up for her initial silence, right?

…

As if that would ever happen—nothing but wishful thinking on her part. Even now, only a lonely joy was guaranteed. She hasn't felt the warmth of companionship for quite a while now.

Well, perhaps not entirely. Being a Tsurumi meant you had a small but loving family, after all.

Her parents were relatively well off and absolutely adored their little girl's unending excitement—her admiration for men in tights and armor seemed endless.

They thought it was downright cute seeing her don a makeshift cape and mask, having the time of her life either running around their backyard in secret or re-watching her favorite DVDs with such an _intense_ expression.

A personal favorite moment they shared was the time they caught her holding up a camera to her torso. She was playing around with its flash function, pretending it was the glowing core of her favorite full-metal hero.

_Too adorable, honestly._

Though, it was painfully obvious to them that Rumi had no other peers to gush with over these films. You couldn't convince them that she was occasionally spoiled; all they could see and hear was their darling child filled with so much life.

To see a smile on her face instead of the usual look of indifference made it all worth it. Everything else came in second.

And so, Tsurumi Subaru relented and pre-purchased their tickets a month beforehand—the man got up at the crack of dawn and managed to luck out with the digital queue.

He picked out great reserved seats for his family in the nicest theater in town. The one that everyone knew had the best screens, seats, and sound available at the time.

Needless to say, they got their money's worth.

"Okaa-san! Otou-san! I _told_ you Steel-Man was superior to Major States. It can't be argued anymore.

It's embarrassing to say but... I-I'd like to be as intelligent and brave as he is when I'm older!" Rumi gleefully declared, with her tiny nose held up high.

"Right, right. Y'know, I had no idea who most of the heroes were the entire time, but that movie really delivered. Been a while since I've seen _any_ kind of action. Ain't that right, wifey?" Her father asked her mother, a cheeky smirk plastered on his face.

She responded with a tiny smirk of her own, along with a swift elbow to his gut.

"_Geez_."

Ignoring her husband's pout, Tsurumi Emi brushed her long raven hair behind her ears and jokingly muttered to her daughter not to count out the Major's chivalrous, _tactful_ spirit. That hero was just as admirable as he was handsome _and_ quite romantic for a Yankee!

Her husband was only _slightly_ jealous, still opting to look away than give his teasing wife the satisfaction.

Amongst the joyous crowd, the small family left the theater feeling happily satisfied from the midnight premiere experience.

Even hours past her usual bedtime, the girl skipped with joy and ecstatically recounted the events of the movie to her dear mother and father.

Apparently it was everything _everyone_ had hoped it would be and more. She couldn't wait to at least try to broach the topic to her classmates at school.

Hopefully not only would they let her join their conversations for once, but also accept this hidden fondness of hers. There was more to the girl than just the aloof, cold front she's put on since losing her place among her previous friends.

Someone who loved heroes just as much as _Narvel_ loved money.

"Your Otou-san took us out for a lovely night despite having work early in the morning. Now, isn't there something you should say?" Emi gently reminded her daughter.

"Right! Otou-san, you're the best! I had a wonderful time and… I'll _never_ forget tonight, thank you!" The girl finished off with a shy grin.

In turn, the father simply nodded at his daughter with a tired smile and a gentle tousling of her own long, raven hair.

"Anytime—_*Yawn*_... Well… whenever we can, sport."

The doting mother was superbly content at the sight of her energetic, happy child. Her husband's heart swelled with pride at having provided his family with a small, but joyous occasion.

If he had the energy, he'd convince his wife to finish off the outing with some late night _karaage_ from the joint he spotted around the corner.

But it was close to the _witching hour_, a lengthy drive from home, and he had more than a few patients to consult with, later at work. He and his family needed a good night's rest, but they'd all have to settle for a few hours nonetheless.

_Man, we all gotta be insane for being out and keeping stores open this late at night. Well, either we're being dumb or everyone also feels that all the drama's gonna settle down soon. A winner is me if our car isn't stolen._

Unfortunately, the outpouring crowd made it very difficult for the Tsurumis to navigate through the streets. At some point, the family couldn't tell how many times they were stopped by groups conversing and taking pictures. Such rudeness irritated the family's matriarch, especially.

Both the streets and sidewalks were filled with cheering fans, decidedly standing by and turning the mini-rally into, admittedly, a bonafide nerdy circle-jerk.

_Seriously, the movie's over. I understand that it was good... but there's no need to act like you're all ten. Calm down._ The father thought to himself, weary-eyed at the spectacle.

But the man of the family wasn't all that deterred—he knew these streets like the back of his hand. Feeling somewhat adventurous, he led his family away from the crowds and to the side of a building he recognized.

He intended to lead his family through a shortcut to their parked car, using a sketchy-looking alleyway.

"Are you _mental_, dear?" Of course, his wife was skeptical from not knowing where it led to and the imposing darkness that shrouded the route. The last thing she wanted to do at the moment was lead their daughter through the unknown, frightening her all the while.

But their child was too excited to notice the shadows within, opting to side with her father for once and insist she was brave enough! The father also insisted on leading his family forward. He gave his wife a reassuring look in his eyes and told her he knew exactly where the messy trail would end.

And that he did.

They navigated through many twists and turns that they didn't think possible of any alleyway.

Rumi's bravado faltered at the scurry of a rat next to a nearby trash can. But the mother held their daughter to her warm, soft side and the father reassured them both again with a gentle chuckle.

Within a minute, they were completely away from the cacophony of the crowds. In the next, they finally saw an opening to empty streets straight ahead, everything illuminated by the streetlamps and the pale moonlight.

Their sedan was merely across the street, its red color shining brightly.

_*Rustle* *Click*_

Another sudden noise, followed by a scraping of the pavement and a distinct, metallic click.

"Another rat," the young girl whispered.

She wasn't entirely wrong, in a figurative sense. But what actually appeared before the family was much bigger than any rodent.

A hulking, ugly, beady-eyed man, with slick oily hair and a huge schnozz to boot.

One shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but the small family couldn't help but shiver at the greasy aura this man oozed with his disgusting glare. His stench growing closer with every step he took.

Absolute scum, not much different from a disease-riddled rat.

And above everything else, he held a weapon. The kind you wouldn't expect to see outside of a police officer's possession. Weapons smuggling in the black market was alive and well, Japan's laws be damned.

Acting quickly, Tsurumi Subaru pushed his daughter and wife behind him as he looked into the barrel of a loaded revolver.

"Don't scream. Don't run. Wallet. Purse. _Now_." The gunman demanded, gesturing to them with his free arm.

Rumi's father froze with fear—his life was now in the hands of a hard-looking thug, one who handled his weapon with disturbing ease.

However, the stranger's threats made the most important girls in his life _whimper _as they hid behind him… And that alone replaced his own feeling of terror with nothing but contempt for the gunman.

He was outraged.

Not angry enough to do something foolish like play the hero but the feeling was presented in the father's tone when he curtly responded. "_No_ _problem_. Just keep that pointed _only_ at me, got it?"

"_Don't tell me what to do. Shut your trap and move it_." The gunman demanded.

"Emi." The father whispered, glaring coldly at the gunman as he carefully took out his wallet and was handed his wife's purse from behind.

He made sure to move as carefully as possible, so as to not agitate the gunman with any sudden movements. He dropped the wallet into the open purse and zipped it all the way closed.

Still angered, however, the father tossed the closed purse into the hands of the gunman before the latter could say anything else.

"_Watch it_." The mugger's glare intensified at the family man's _disrespectful_ actions against his person. But the thief wasn't there to gain any friends or create any unnecessary noise. He didn't care what the family did after, so long as he got a huge take from this mugging.

"_Happy?_ We'll be leaving now," said the male Tsurumi, trying to turn his family back the way they came from as the mugger lowered his gun to search through the purse.

But the mugger was quick to stop them with another wave of his piece, sounding gravely as he spoke. "_Don't move or your dead_."

The family internally panicked and remained as still as possible. They still weren't out of the woods yet and all they could do was wait for the ugly bastard to make a decision.

The mugger expertly sifted through the wallet and purse, counting his loot within seconds.

And he was not happy with what he found.

"You _bastards—_there's _jackshit_ in here!" The mugger roared, his nostrils flaring and oozing snot.

The now penniless father scoffed at the thug's nerve to declare such a thing. "What—there's three-thousand yen in there! _Take it_."

The mugger spat in the family's general direction, eyeing them once over. "Don't hold out on me ass—"

"—We're tapped out," the father interrupted, shrugging his empty arms.

In a show of force, the mugger cocked his gun again. "The _hell_ you are... Give me those rings and the pearls around the lady's neck. _Now_."

Rumi faintly heard her father spout curses under his breath, but he held in his temper with a resigned sigh as he took off his wedding ring and was handed the rest over by her mother.

Once everything was in the palm of his hand, the father began carefully stepping over to the mugger until the latter halted him with a wave of his dirty finger.

"_What now?_ I'm just giving you—"

"—_Quiet_," The mugger interrupted with a toothy grin. "I want your _little shit_ to do it," he finally explained, gesturing to the young girl with his gun.

At this, Rumi sobbed profusely as her mother cried out and tightened her protective hold. Her father tightly clenched the jewelry in his hand and glared at the smiling man with unimaginable fury.

More firmly than ever, he responded to the mugger with, "_No,_ _there's no need for that_—"

"—_Fuck you then_."

_*Bang*_

A loud reverberating sound echoed through the alleyway, followed by cries from everybody within. The Tsurumi family dropped to the ground in one fell swoop, trembling altogether before lying still.

The mugger had a slight ringing in his ear from the shot he just pulled, but that was the least of his worries. He was more concerned about… running away, turning his head left and right as if not knowing what to do and where to go.

There was a hole in the mugger's hand and his blood wasted no time gushing out of it and onto the dirty pavement.

This wasn't part of the plan.

_What the fuck?_

It was as if the gun exploded the _second_ he pulled the trigger. The mugger's intent was to shoot the fatherly prick in his heart for being such a hard ass.

But no, somehow the shot had backfired on the thug and badly injured his hand. The family was down on the ground, but none of them were dead.

Tears ran down the thug's eyes as he clutched his bleeding hand, trembling and shaking as he tried not to cry out in pain.

He managed to get his bearings together within a few moments. Amidst the pain, he glanced down at his now busted revolver on the ground. It was only for a quick second, but he managed to spot a sleek, black object _jammed_ into the barrel of the gun.

It was in the shape of a small bat, he finally recognized, as a _winged_ shadow ensnared his own from behind in the blink of an eye.

The Tsurumis had recalled it being the longest ten seconds of their lives. They dared to peek from their place on the ground and managed to spot a black shadowy figure adorned with crimson-red streaks, descending upon the mugger from the midnight sky.

Its cloak gracefully billowed along the wind and instantly retracted upon landing on the ground—like the wings of a bird of prey.

An angel sent from God? No, no way.

This... being was anything _but_ an angel. It immediately brought down the bleeding mugger to his knees with a swift kick to the side. The mugger cried out in pain and turned around to lunge at the being that struck him.

But he appeared to freeze in pure terror just from looking into its pair of dreadful, glowing red eyes. His wild haymaker was ineffective and halted by the dark mass.

The mugger's will to act was evaporated and he attempted to crawl away, weeping on his hands and knees. He tried his best to ignore the pain of his wounds, just to _get away _from whatever was hurting him.

Despite the fluidity and _elegance_ of its initial movements, no one could deny the shadow's predatorial intentions.

It—He was more of a demon, one out on another nightly hunt for the degenerates that plagued society. For _rats _like the mugger, all on the cusp of the witching hour.

To him, the night was still young... and he wasted more than enough time dealing with this lowly prey.

The demon grabbed the bleeding man with the wicked heart, standing him up to strike him in the gut. The mugger whimpered and coughed out a handful of saliva, his eyes bugged out in surprise at the strength exuded by the smaller, shadowy figure.

Said shadow exhaled and grunted as he manhandled the huge thief with all his strength. He finally let go but quickly shoved the mugger's head back into the concrete wall.

The mugger fell silent and crumbled down to the ground, finally knocked out cold.

The shadow revealed a hint of exhaustion through his quick, shallow breathing. He eventually got his bearings together after clutching his arms for a quick stretch and a few controlled deep breaths.

It was finally clear to the family that he was indeed a fellow living being rather than a spiritual entity. They remained on the ground all the same and took a good look at him as he bent down, took hold of the thug's limbs, and began hog-tying him.

They only needed a moment to finally recognize the angel, the demon—the _hero_ who stood between them and the rite of death. They sat up from the ground and felt immense relief at the familiarity and sense of security this person brought with his presence alone.

Everyone and their mother was blindsided by the emergence of a new Japanese legend, seemingly overnight.

He was one of the few topics that all the papers and the news could talk about in the last few months. Perhaps not as much as the superhero movie, ironically enough, but he was pretty up there.

Because of him, again, the worst that the night would have brought to the Tsurumi family was denied.

And now?

Now they stood still in awe of their encounter with the savior of Chiba.

"H-Huntsman," the girl whispered.

Huntsman turned his head up towards the family at the mention of his name, but refocused again on the criminal's injured hand. His knotted rope double-acted as a makeshift tourniquet and stopped the bleeding.

With his, Huntsman wrapped the hand with a bit of gauze retrieved from one of his belt pouches. Once finished, he took something out from the side of his mask and placed it inside a small manila envelope, sealed it closed and attached it to the thug.

Huntsman tested the ropes and found they held tight. He fully turned towards the family and appeared to stare at them while they all sat still. Seemingly for no reason at all.

It was the mother's guess, however, that he was _examining_ them for any signs of harm.

Imagine being able to infer that from a guy behind such a terrifying mask? Highly unlikely. However, Tsurumi Emi insisted feeling through his true intentions and even appreciated his 'heart'.

Call it a 'mother's intuition'.

The father clutched his and his wife's rings out of nervousness, but he managed to nod at Huntsman out of respect and whispered his thanks.

Huntsman didn't respond to him. Instead, once seemingly satisfied, he calmly held out his palm in the direction of an object a few feet away from them.

The small family, all still huddled together, responded to Huntsman's gesture with interest. From following his line of sight, they were able to spot the wife's purse, still intact.

And it really hit them that the mugging was botched. The gunman would be put behind bars for all of his actions and, most importantly, be taken far away from them. They felt grateful that not only were their lives saved and their daughter was spared from following the man's orders, even the least important things to them were saved.

He lived up to his legacy and rescued them on every possible level.

They turned back at Huntsman… only to see the restrained, knocked out mugger and an empty spot where the dark knight had stood. He was gone—as if he had been swallowed by the night, much like how the clouds concealed the pale moon.

Only the girl claimed to have heard a sharp _ting_ of metal and a cape ruffle against the nightly winds.

Soon, the calm silence was interrupted by a melody of sirens heard faintly in the background, approaching the family closer with every second.

* * *

And that was the gist of Captain Yin's police report concerning the Tsurumi family's midnight encounter with a thug and Chiba's very own 'Dark Knight'.

Well, it was _their_ lengthy account of the events. Perhaps some parts were romanticized, but maybe not.

The family was shaken up a bit but survived the ordeal. They lit up like a Christmas tree at the mention of the Huntsman, especially the young girl.

_Cute kid. A shame that their family outing had come to an end like this though, even if it was stupid to walk through a dark alley in the first place._

Still, it was an unfortunate common event as of recently, thugs mugging random people on the street more often than before. After dusk, it made no difference _where_ a thug would strike whomever possible, just to make a quick buck.

_Doesn't mean it always worked out. I'd go so far to say our cells have never been more filled with shit. At this rate, we'll probably need another jail._

Honestly, Captain Yin didn't think that taking on overtime shifts from Saturday night to Sunday morning would consist of occasionally arriving to beaten-down, hogtied criminals all ready to be picked up. Then writing up reports of the same story... over and over.

The Huntsman always arrived either early or just in the nick of time.

"Nothing but flesh and steel… against full _grown_ men with guns," Yin whispered to herself, tilted on an old desk chair.

Consistent with the Batman, Huntsman had yet to kill a man—unintentionally or not. The Tsurumi family's recent would-be mugger was unconscious, but breathing regularly when officers arrived at the scene.

The thug received a couple of bruises and a concussion, but nothing that a man of his size couldn't survive. Even his injured hand received a makeshift tourniquet and was sloppily patched up before the patrolmen and EMTs had arrived.

"And then there's this," Captain Yin spoke to herself again as she flipped a tiny, square device in her hand.

It was a cheap SD card, presumably holding first person video footage of the mugging as it occurred. Would-be victims have mentioned the Huntsman detaching these cards from the side of his head and placing them onto the thugs he had beaten down.

_Clear cut evidence. Handed down onto our laps every time. Just like all the other petty criminals, the prosecutors won't have any trouble convicting the one who threatened the Tsurumis. _She thought, giving a slight smirk.

Captain Yin placed the evidence back into the small manila envelope it came from and again in a plastic bag, securing everything within her desk. Once her desktop was locked, she disposed of her plastic gloves and grabbed her red leather jacket. She decidedly made her way up to the rooftop, passing by other weary-looking detectives and patrolmen.

A cool breeze enveloped Captain Yin as she exited the building from up high and closed the rooftop's door behind her.

Alone at last. She inhaled and exhaled deeply, fishing for a box of smokes and a lighter within her pockets. After tapping the box a couple of times, Yin popped out a cigarette and ignited the butt end.

A couple of drags later, Yin felt relieved from inhaling a particular sweet pungent mix of menthol and tobacco that only her favorite brand could provide. She welcomed its familiar warmth and satisfying release at the expense of her lungs.

Looking up at the midnight sky, Yin was suddenly reminded of Shizuka's surprised reaction at her little red box when they met up at the usual bar, the night before.

Her dear cousin was so unbelievably repulsed at Yin's love for the brand and the latter couldn't help but chuckle at the small, recent memory.

It was always amusing to see that total _bombshell_ of a woman paired with a childish, bratty look on her face.

_Maybe if Shizuka was just a bit more mature, she'd get a date and understand why 'Dragon Reds' ciggies are top-tier. Better than her damn Seven Stars. Ah well... her loss_. She thought with a small smile, taking in another drag.

After a few moments, the Captain's thoughts of her beautiful cousin dissipated like the gray clouds she exhaled, replaced by those regarding her present situation.

Out of a nervous habit, Yin let her long, glossy black hair down, gently moving her head to and fro against a light breeze, before using the same hair tie to fasten it all in a simple ponytail once again. Her lit cigarette easily dangled between her full, red lips the entire time.

Captain Yin usually didn't smoke, but it helped whenever she felt restless. For whatever reason, she's been feeling that way much more recently... experiencing vivid dreams and even feeling sore after some sleep sessions.

It hadn't got out of control, but there was also no rhyme or reason as to why Captain Yin would feel so tired through most of the day, every other day.

It also couldn't come at a worse time when she had _just_ convinced the Chief to let her start a youth outreach, internship program. Applications from credit-hungry, justice-oriented youths would be coming in soon and she needed to be ready.

The _old guard_ wasn't getting any younger, after all.

Hopefully some over-the-counter melatonin and sleeping aids would do the trick, but if that didn't work out?

_Well, shit. _

Captain Yin deadpanned and scoffed at the possible implications of her current issue. She brushed her hands over her cheeks before firmly grasping the rooftop rail with more force than she intended.

"I swear to God, I hope I don't need to cry to a _shrink _or something…"

"Likewise."

Captain Yin's heart jumped at the intrusion of clear, baritone voice that came right behind her.

She immediately turned around with swift reflexes unknown to her before that moment, one hand hovering just above her reliable, department-issued pistol.

Her senses were more than aptly _refocused_ by the adrenaline rushing through her veins. Her lips no longer held the single, tobacco-infused Dragon Red that she was enjoying—now they trembled as she tried speaking to the source of the deep voice and her current apprehensiveness.

"W-What are you doing here?!" She managed to yell out.

Leaning against the same rooftop guardrail, some ten feet away from the distressed captain, was the Huntsman, clad in full armor and mask.

Under the pale moonlight, Captain Yin could tell his utility belt was decked out and that the sleek black and red armor was as hardy as it was new.

The Huntsman looked absolutely imposing, even as he carefully raised one of his hands from the rail and gave her an overtly simple, but somewhat _fitting_ response.

"Yo."

…

"...I don't know what the _hell_ you were thinking of coming here. Just see that I'm _armed_ and have backup on the ready!" She exclaimed, her left hand now fully on top of her sidearm and the other on a walkie.

Huntsman waved his hand dismissively. "_Calm yourself_. I'm not out to put you or any other officer in harm's way—"

"—What is it then?! Why'd you creep up on me?!" Captain Yin interrupted, a mix of fear and fury present in her tone.

Huntsman didn't respond to either questions, though he was rather pleased she appeared to be giving him a chance to explain his sudden presence at the roof of the police station.

This meeting wasn't planned, but damn him if he was to let this opportunity go to waste. It was only by luck that he spotted this specific person from a distance, courtesy of his _Hunter Vision_. The last thing Huntsman wanted to do was agitate Captain Yin into taking a shot at him.

_...I've got a feeling she'd pull the trigger if she knew the cameras were temporarily disabled. Best if I kept that to myself, for now. _He thought, before finally speaking again.

"You're Captain Yin Etsudo of the Chiba Prefectural Police Department. Formerly known as Detective 'Ellen Yin' of the Gotham City Police Department... How are you holding up this evening—"

_*Click*_

Huntsman sighed at the familiar sight of a loaded pistol aimed straight at him, one with a full magazine and its safety off.

Unlike the disturbing, sometimes nervous gazes of the scumbags Huntsman usually took down, he noted that Captain Yin had a determined look in her eye, notably with a hint of disgust.

If looks could kill, he'd be dead on the spot.

_Even in a mask, I managed to creep out an... attractive member of the opposite sex. Damn it, Hachiman._

Still, Huntsman didn't let her actions fully deter him and he'd stay true to his word. Expecting the worst, however, he managed to slide down a couple of roughly bat-shaped throwing weapons from his forearms to the palms of his hands.

Thankfully, his preparation had gone unnoticed.

"Y'know, _there's no need for that_." Huntsman opined.

"...How the _hell_ do you know who I am? You've been checking up on me?" Captain Yin bristled, her glare only faltered for a second before quickly reverting back.

His words were a not-so-subtle reminder to Captain Yin of the same line that Tsurumi Subaru used in defense of his daughter, Rumi, against the gunman's demands.

Perhaps he believed such an attempt would deter her from taking the same action as the gunman.

_Not above using your good deeds to manipulate a difficult situation, are you? _

Nonetheless, Captain Yin lowered her gun before finishing her thought. _Maybe that's a bit too harsh, but… it'd pay to know how cunning you really are._

Huntsman was satisfied at the sight of the gun being pointed to the ground rather than his face. He respected Captain Yin's decision to keep it clenched in her hands with the safety remaining off.

_I wish I didn't have to namedrop, but she's got Gotham at the heart. It's probably my best shot. _Huntsman decided in his own thoughts.

Captain Yin patiently observed the vigilante seemingly gather this bearings, her ears peaking with curiosity when he finally spoke with the same clarity.

"For an officer from the States', you've quickly garnered an excellent reputation… Admired by both colleagues and the general public."

Her head tilted in confusion at the statement he just made. "That doesn't explain how you know my American name and there are plenty of other officers in the department to hear stories about—"

Captain Yin's words were halted as Huntsman raised one of his fists in front of him, her fingers instinctively twitched around her pistol.

"_Yes_, that's true. But none of your other peers have ever worked closely with… a mutual _acquaintance_ of ours," Huntsman finished off, opening his fist to reveal a familiar, standard-issued batarang.

His action had its intended effect as Captain Yin was taken aback by the gesture, rather than being threatened by the object.

How could she ever find it frightening? Although it was a weapon intended for combat, it was usually intended for vile scum. The odd shuriken naturally reminded her of home… Of _him_ and the security he brought every night to the streets of Gotham.

This wasn't the only batarang she's seen since coming to Chiba. But it was definitely the first time anyone fully confirmed to her face that Batman himself sponsored the Huntsman.

_He knows we worked together in Gotham. Just how much did he reveal to this guy?_

Captain Yin just had to know what was going on, even if it meant lowering her guard at the moment.

"Alright, _smart-ass_. I'll bite, just how much has he told you? At least answer me that, will ya?" She asked with an edgy, concerned tone.

Huntsman didn't respond right away to the officer's biting question. Truthfully, he didn't think he'd get to this point even with a detective as unconventional as Captain Yin. The conciliatory approach he took seemed to work thus far, despite his displeasure with beating around the bush.

_She's being reasonably cautious, maybe a little frightened that her former partner possibly revealed more than a few sensitive details. I suppose relieving her worries would be the first step._

He straightened himself, looking right into the officer's eyes.

"If it's any comfort, I wasn't made privy to everything he knew about you. That said, you were commended in every moment that he chose to divulge. 'Truly one of Gotham's finest' he said," Huntsman explained.

"...I see. That's um… nice to hear?" Yin responded, clearly flustered. She didn't expect that in the least.

"...Right. In any case, the work you've done in Gotham interests me far more than your real name or other personal details ever could. No offense, though it seems you'd prefer it that way. So I'll be sticking to 'Captain Yin Etsudo' as well."

Huntsman observed the female officer finally turn the safety off of her gun and place it within her holster. He decided to do the same with his batarangs, securing them back into a compartment on his forearms.

Captain Yin looked up at the Huntsman again with a scowl on her face. "You're talking as if this won't be the last time we'll meet each other like this. Are… Are you trying to establish some sort of connection here? With me?"

"That's correct, a direct in-person rapport," Huntsman affirmed with a single nod.

…_Strange way of doing so. It almost seems like he's not used to this kind of thing. He's gotta be the kind of man who prefers to work alone, otherwise I'd make him for an awkward, troubled youth—_

Captain Yin's thoughts were cut off as the Huntsman took a few careful steps forward and continued their conversation.

"I've been... advised by our mutual associate to link together with an officer of the law. Initially I refused to do so, but I couldn't fully argue with the mutual benefits that both parties would gain from such a relationship."

"And I guess Batman used _ours_ as an example, huh? I can't see any other way as to why he'd mention what we pulled off in Gotham." She looked to her side for a moment, relieved that the rooftop door remained closed.

"Again, that's correct. Among the other contacts he had in the GCPD, at least. Altogether, your form of communication made crime fighting somewhat easier in Gotham. Less obtrusive overlap and more information exchanged between officers and an outsider. Can you also confirm that, Captain Yin?" Huntsman asked.

The officer gave a curt nod, seemingly recalling past, relevant cases. "That's right, there were others involved and certain rogues became easier to put away. Flow of intel and efficiency definitely increased.

I can see why you would consider creating something similar here with the Chiba Prefectural Police Department. Starting off with someone, just me really, who's got experience working with... _your_ types." Captain Yin finished, albeit with less confidence than before.

Huntsman nodded at her assertion nonetheless while Captain Yin could only look away with her hands on her hips as she contemplated this request. A few quiet moments passed between the two still figures.

Huntsman, again, uncharacteristically filled the silence. "As I see it, there's no other officer fit for this role at the moment. From what I've heard, it's very demanding—both physically and mentally."

"...Very much so. Gotta hand it to you for shamelessly asking a woman my age to... pick this up again." She teased with a light chuckle.

"_Why_ is that? Again, you're the logical choice. This is hardly a selfish thing to ask for, especially when I had to be _convinced_ to break ground with a capable officer." Huntsman responded, a bit bristled.

"So you're here because of someone else's selfishness, I see." Captain Yin pointed out, looking down again with a resigned smile. He didn't have as much of an immediate response to that statement. Perhaps, on some level, it rang true to the young vigilante.

The sky darkened even further as the clouds swallowed the moonlight. Both figures stood still in silence once again as a sudden cool breeze picked up, flowing through Captain Yin's hair and colliding onto the Huntsman's armor. His cape managed to flutter in defiance, ready to expand for a sudden glide.

The lack of moonlight made the city lights appear to shine brighter than before. As if in sync, both the vigilante and the officer turned towards the sight. They breathed in the fresh night air, mesmerized by the myriad of colors still active within the city, past conventional sleeping hours.

Subconsciously, they wished this pause in their conversation would have been a nice, sentimental moment shared between two proprietors of justice. Possibly the first of many.

However, any other feeling was overshadowed by the grim truth—the truth that misery lurked at every corner, ready to snuff out every joyous gleam at a moment's notice.

The Huntsman was the first to look back from the poignant scene. His stomach churned at the false peace it spoke and, as a result, it felt as if his next words were forcibly gagged out.

"Captain Yin, Chiba needs this… partnership. The underworld is in disarray and it must be _quelled_ while we have the chance."

Captain Yin slowly turned back towards the young vigilante, as if reluctant to come back to reality. Her eyes widened in realization at the implications of the Huntsman's assertion and she voiced out what had been in her mind since the beginning of the week.

"Ah, so you noticed that much as well? The… The _desperation_ behind all these recent muggings, robberies, and gang violence.

Our records guys found that for _every_ ten thugs we arrest, eight of them were once either directly or indirectly funded by their gorgeous, precious '_Matriarch_'. Can-Can you even _believe_ that?

That's something we have _yet_ to admit to the public and our so-called allies at the Prosecutor's Office and political affiliates have bombarded us with pleas _not_ to do so."

Captain Yin received no response from the vigilante, this nonreactive stance reminded her too much of the Batman's own steadfast attitude. But seeing this attitude come from the Huntsman provided no comfort or inspiration to the woman. In fact, she felt a tinge of annoyance added alongside with her building anger.

She turned away again from the young hero, just before he finally shook his head and clenched his trembling fists. It was a delayed reaction that Huntsman refrained himself from showing but a reaction, nonetheless, to Captain Yin's news.

_Eight out of ten, huh? Eight. Eighty percent since she's fallen. Sounds like a damn, cruel joke. It's just... absolutely infuriating._

"It's _ridiculous_!" Captain Yin continued with a guttural edge to her voice. "All these criminals coming out of the woodwork only _after_ the Yukinoshitas became exposed to litigation.

The Prosecutor's Office has its work cut out for them, handling all these petty cases and even finding corruption within their own ranks. Damn _Hayama_'s to blame for that mess."

Again, no immediate response from the Huntsman. All he could do was look at the woman pounding her fists on the rail in a fit of frustration. Her actions were quite inviting; it was an awfully disgusting situation.

After venting, Captain Yin chose to look anywhere else than back at the Huntsman, embarrassed to have lost a degree of control in front of him. Eventually, she spotted her unfinished _Dragon Red_ cigarette from earlier, now unlit and left on the ground. The thought of picking it up and lighting it again was quite tempting, she had to admit.

Captain Yin took to restraining herself from the gross action however, opting to remain morose in lieu of indulging her recent taste for nicotine. She successfully fought off the urge while crossing her arms underneath her chest.

Nonetheless, the scent of tobacco lingered about for the Captain in her imaginative state. It wasn't long before she heard the dark hero attempt to pick things up again.

"...We may never know the full extent of the hold that Yukinoshita Yukari and her circle had over Chiba. Dwell on it if you must, but I'm focused on taking down as many criminals as we can through a united front." Huntsman insisted.

Captain Yin couldn't help but scoff at his last point. "A _united front_? This partnership would be an ongoing _stealth_ operation more than anything else. Limited to our separate available schedules, not to mention our ideas of discretion—"

"—_You know what I meant_." He icily interrupted.

Her eyes faltered and she exhaled in exasperation. "No, _Huntsman_, I honestly don't. Please just… hear me out, again."

The Huntsman sighed, but insisted the good detective continue voicing her thoughts with a slight wave. He knew right away that interrupting was not the right thing to have done while she spoke. But this encounter was going on for much longer than he thought it would and his patience was wearing thin.

She nodded in thanks, straightening her posture but kept her head down low as she slowly spoke. "It took time for me to _trust_ the Batman before we could effectively work together. Even then, we had more than a few rough bumps along the way.

To this day… I have no idea who he is and only slightly know about his intentions and methods."

…_Where is she going with this?_ Huntsman thought to himself, his fingertips slightly trembling as if he subconsciously knew the answer.

Captain Yin finally looked up at the Huntsman with a confident pair of eyes alongside a diminutive smile. Unbeknownst to Huntsman, this fond expression of hers was subconsciously reserved for a small circle of specific people in the captain's life. With that on, she finished her point.

"That said, I trust Batman as Gotham's 'Dark Knight' because, despite all the brooding, mysterious, and weird quirks attached to his persona, he's proven himself countless times over.

I trust him with my life wholeheartedly, as a cop and a person, because he was there even before I was… left behind. He's the reason why I'm hearing you out at this moment because, although I-I'm grateful that you've saved many lives _beyond_ that incident with the monster, I simply don't have that same faith in you." Captain Yin finally stated, exhaling deeply.

Her point was made and, once again, she didn't receive an immediate answer. Only silence.

She observed the vigilante finally cross his arms defensively. He looked to his side, as if contemplating his thoughts once again. It was satisfying to have reached him, but of course there was a tinge of regret at having accomplished this feat by comparing him to another man.

Even more silence followed.

…

_Ah shit, Etsudo, you didn't have to be so hard on the guy. I probably should have finished off with a—_

"Yet." He said finally.

"...What?" she asked, blindsided by his one-worded response.

She would never see it, but the young man smirked underneath his mask as he clarified his statement. "You don't trust me _yet_. You're… rightfully skeptical of some stranger coming up to you, offering a _partnership_.

I respect that cautious, benefit-of-the-doubt approach of yours more than you could ever know. If necessary, I _will_ get past that wall of yours soon enough."

_...I'm glad for both our sakes that you've got that mask on. How the hell are you not fazed by declaring such an embarrassing, bold promise to a woman's face?!_

Keeping a flush down, the captain persisted. "I, um, _appreciate_ your optimism, but there's nothing special about my approach. It's just common sense—"

"—_Wrong_. Common sense would have been for you to shoot and take me to your superiors for a promotion. Not to say you aren't doing your job, but you're definitely above the average wage slave present in our society.

People on this side of the globe tend to write off such an approach as 'asinine' and 'foolish'. However, I actually admire this particular nonconforming attitude and there's no exception to be made here." The young vigilante explained, with his arms slightly outstretched.

"..." Captain Yin was silent, her eyes squinted in disbelief.

"..._What?_ You disagree?" Huntsman asked, indignantly confused.

"No no, it's just—"

A roar of laughter followed her words. Captain Yin tightly clutched her stomach as her body shook and her head moved to and fro.

"I'm _sorry_, that was just… What the _hell_ was that? You… You don't really talk much with others, do you? I mean, anyone ever mention you've got a twisted way of thinking?" She finished with a sheepish smile.

Huntsman wasn't as amused and had lost the last bit of his patience from the conversation. "...That was _meant_ to be a compliment, Captain Yin."

Said captain continued smiling as she wiped away a stray tear with her sleeve. "I get that. Just telling you to work on doling them out. I can't believe I thought you were being optimistic at first."

"...Alright. I've had enough of this." In his unbridled annoyance, the Huntsman turned away from the smirking female and whipped out a handheld device from his utility belt.

Captain Yin had thought Huntsman would abruptly leave her for the night. Instead, he proceeded to stand still and hastily type away on the smartphone-sized device. The officer's curiosity was piqued and she felt like dragging her feet over to see exactly what he was doing.

But she was stopped by her own thoughts.

_Easy Etsudo. Just because he made you laugh and seems determined to gain your trust doesn't mean you can share a close space. Gotta admit, his authentic side sort of reminds me of… Him. But Huntsman's also his own person and something in-in the back of my head tells me to stay vigilant—"_

As if on cue, Captain Yin readied herself as the Huntsman finally finished typing away and turned to her with the device still in his hand.

He spoke firmly, unafraid to offend the officer who had seen him through. "Here, replace those _precious _smokes in your pocket with this. This is how we'll stay in touch."

Huntsman tossed the device to Captain Yin, who handily caught it with one hand.

_N-No way._

In an instant, a wave of nostalgia rushed over Captain Yin as she scanned over the strangely familiar user interface. She instinctively lowered the brightness setting, dimming the glowing blue to a tolerable level.

The device fit in her hand like a glove. Her fingers moved deftly as she fiddled with the software to its fullest extent. After a few swipes here and there, Captain Yin was finally able to confirm exactly what she was handed over by the Huntsman.

It was a BatWave Commlink, Version 2. Similar to the one she had left behind in Gotham, but obviously upgraded to pass off as a regular modern smartphone. Courtesy of Batman himself, obviously.

She sighed with satisfaction at her second nature usage of the Commlink. Hearing its familiar notification sound was music to her ears—one that called to her sense of duty and her longing of…

_Home. It's like I'm back in Gotham again, playing with this high-tech walkie. Except I'm not there, I'm in Chiba and the one who handed me this is…_

"Hey, this was a nice blast from the past. But are you sure it's the right time to give me—"

Captain Yin had finally tried speaking again to the Huntsman. But when she had turned to face him, he was nowhere to be found.

Evidently, he took the opportunity to vanish while Captain Yin was enthralled by the device. Needless to say, she didn't appreciate the feeling of déjà vu that Huntsman had left her with his sudden disappearance.

"Different guy. Same aversion to giving a proper 'goodbye'. _Typical_."

_I guess he didn't want to take 'no' for an answer. That guy had me pinned as a partner whether I wanted to or not. Not exactly how I would have preferred for things to get started but… _

Once again, Captain Yin looked at the illustrious city before her. If only to try to catch a glimpse of him gliding somewhere nearby.

But she was rewarded with no such sight. Instead, her head ached with frustration at the thought of taking up this performance once again. For a different vigilante and city altogether.

None of her colleagues would have had any patience for this proposal. 'Nonsense' they would call it and her a 'stupid American' for not unloading a bullet instead.

_How ironic was that?_

Shaking the thought out of her head, she embraced her 'foolish' nature and looked through the device again. It seemed to unlock at the press of a button, a security issue she would have to fix later.

She noticed a flashing notification at the top of her screen and proceeded to press it. A text bubble appeared with the words:

_"Captain Yin, open your 'Notes' app."_

The captain could only assume it came from the asocial hero. She had half a mind to respond him with her doubts, but proceeded to follow his instructions instead. It was probably what he had hastily typed out earlier.

Once the 'Notes' app was opened, she found a single written document with five listed bullet points.

…_You're kidding me. _

Her eyes bulged upon seeing that each point was fitted with a set of coordinates, nearby intersections, landmarks, descriptions of people and the crimes they've allegedly committed that night.

"All this time, he had _twenty-three_ more thugs under his belt, already knocked out and ready for pick up. Goddammit—"

Captain Yin wasted no time turning around back through the rooftop door with the intention of rushing out of the building as soon as possible. As she sped down the stairs, the female officer whipped out her walkie and spoke firmly to the fellow officers on break within the building.

"This is Captain Yin speaking. In need of patrolmen assistance checking out five distinct locations within a five mile radius. Two in Chuo Ward, one in the Inage ward, and two in the Mihama Ward. Multiple suspects. Please respond for further detail, we're heading out in five minutes."

Off the bat, she knew there were at least sixteen available officers and eight squad cars at the ready. She would need aid from other precinct buildings than the one she was in. On the off chance they weren't enough, or if this was a trap, Captain Yin passed on the details to a colleague operator, who would also inform other squad cars already patrolling the areas to scout ahead of them.

She didn't mention the Huntsman, of course.

_For the time being, I'll have to pass these off as anonymous calls made by civilians. That won't work for long, a less conspicuous method will have to be arranged._

Once she received responses from officers clearly reluctant to get up from their break, she doled out locations for each separate squad car group.

With any luck, they would all be back within the hour. Each group bringing back a total of twenty-three beaten alleged criminals and enough video evidence to convict them.

Captain Yin hopped into her own town car, deciding to tag behind two rookie officers in their squad car on the way to the Mihama Ward. This particular zone contained an elementary school, a middle school, and the high school her cousin worked at—Sobu High.

It perturbed her deeply that five thugs alone would be taken down there, even in the dead of night.

_And if I'm right, you're not even close to being done for tonight, are you?_ Captain Yin thought.

A slight pain erupted in the back of her head and left as quickly as it came. This visceral feeling in her gut caused the hairs on her neck to rise up, but she chose to ignore it as best she could.

There was no use in wondering what the hell that was when she needed her mind to focus on the long night to come.

* * *

Unbeknownst to her, the Huntsman glided in the opposite direction of Captain Yin on his way to check over the Wakaba Ward. The night for him was indeed far from over—sunrise wasn't for another few hours and there was no school on Sunday.

He was more determined than ever to hunt down whatever miserable, desperate goons were out there. As much as he didn't want to admit it, a part of that was due to Captain Yin declaring her lack of faith in him.

_The attack on Sobu, the Bishamonten incident, and the Yukinoshitas. Not to mention the countless petty criminals in between and since then. All of that wasn't enough for you, huh?_

Hachiman scowled underneath his mask at the annoying thought. Still, he was sure not to miss the fact that he was starting to fly at a low altitude.

He sighed, wishing he remembered to dive-bomb every now and then to maintain the height level of his glide. Another tip Batman had provided for him.

With clear-practiced finesse, he paused mid-flight to shoot his grapnel gun at the edge of a nearby building. Once attached, he immediately activated the grapnel boost, which accelerated him at a speed high enough to be launched far above the gun's target point. His cape naturally spread once again with the winds just below the clouds.

_I meant what I said, Captain Yin. Bruce Wayne has Gotham while I've been here for Chiba. And I don't plan on stopping anytime soon… not when peace is just within reach._

He activated his _Hunter's Vision_ upon gliding down and up again in a fluid motion. A few moments of continuously doing so, he spotted a lone figure less than half a click away, holding what appeared to be a crowbar against a backdoor in an alleyway.

_Hmph, typical. How about I find another five thugs for you to pick up by the end of the night? See if that helps._ The vigilante inwardly smirked at the thought as he glided downward in the direction of the suspicious figure, ready to purge.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Thanks a lot to 502nickster for giving me the opportunity to work on this sequel. Still very happy to have been asked to continue this world wherein Hachiman's a crime-fighting vigilante. **

**I did not expect to go from a reviewer, to a "consultant" for the first story, to finally being the author of the sequel to his work. He's a trooper for enduring my slowness while his avid readers asked for more. Please, check out his stories.**

**Thank you for reading the chapter. See you in the next one.**


	2. The Alliance and Liliths

**It's only the second chapter and I already had to retcon one detail in the last chapter. Don't worry about it. A reread isn't really necessary, unless you forgot about this story entirely after such a long wait heh. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Chapter 2: The Alliance and Liliths

In the end, Huntsman only managed to capture three more criminals before he was interrupted by the rising sun of dawn. The nightly patrol had taken its toll on the young dark knight and a bleeding wound put him over the edge. He made sure to report each incapacitated thug's locations to Captain Yin, though she had yet to respond to any of his messages. It didn't matter much to him, so long as they were all stuck into a cell. However, it did cross his mind as to which of them would make the first move to actually _call_ the other. He figured the ball was in her park, for the most part.

The time was 6:00 AM. Just like the criminals he took down, the vigilante retreated from the daylight to a much darker, secluded location known only by a select few. His shirtless form sat on a stool in the center of a modestly sized room, treating his injuries while chewing on the last bits of a banana.

The last scumbag struck him with a knife jab on his left shoulder joint—one of the few susceptible points that his armor couldn't reach. The injury itself was shallow, but he certainly felt it could have been avoided altogether.

_Running low on ointment for the bruises too… I'll have to just bear with a cold pack at home._

After cleaning and wrapping his wound with a bit of gauze, Hachiman placed the medkit back in a designated medical storage cabinet. He walked off towards a much larger room, carefully stretching his limbs, over to a table where his shirt and armor laid. Once there, he observed a slick, glowing biometric lock beside the table, one meant for a handprint to press on.

After thinking it over for a good moment, Hachiman firmly pressed on the device with his right hand and continued dressing as a flurry of beeps and whirring sounds followed soon after. This one action activated a number of power systems and generators, quickly lighting up various monitors and LED bulbs that were previously dormant. He placed his armor over his shirt as multiple fitted compartments and niches were revealed in the now, fully lit room.

Each niche contained different tools, weapons, and other miscellaneous supplies. Near the entrance was a makeshift kitchen area, filled with a sparse amount of nutritional foods and snacks. The scent of a freshly scrambled egg still lingered in the air, coming from a cheap portable grill.

There were also many corrugated boxes of different sizes strewn around all four rooms of the compound; a glaring sign of work left unfinished. Besides the mess, the compound itself had signs that it was probably abandoned mid-construction. Its walls were unevenly lined with natural stone, concrete, and bare drywall. Thankfully, there was a moderate amount of insulation, though Hachiman had a gut feeling that it wouldn't be enough to keep him warm as winter progressed. He eliminated countless layers of dust that had rested within the compound for years, at the cost of a couple of brooms. Underneath, however, the floors were discovered to have been either lined with tacky, scuffed tiles or moldy, cracked hardwood. After three mops and eight liters each of detergent and bleach, Hachiman was _still_ only halfway through fully disinfecting the disgusting mess.

_I guess this is what they call the homeowner's dilemma, nothing but constant maintenance after settling within a property. I haven't had to clean this much since Komachi took over the reigns at home. Hmph… felt good though._

Despite all the shortcomings, Hachiman was satisfied at what he managed to accomplish within a week's time. Had to miss a few days worth of school playing "sick" but he reassured himself it was for the greater good.

The boy left his mask and cowl off, opting to recharge its internal systems at a nearby dock. The entire room was filled with light electrical hums that he found to be somewhat of a nuisance. It was easily dealt with—he turned on a modestly sized television, flicking it over to a news channel. He let it rest there and carefully shuffled over to the desk containing the largest monitor in the room. This screen was connected to possibly one of the strongest supercomputer systems present in all of Japan. A Batcomputer. And Hachiman, of all people, lazily input his login details as he sat down on a comfy desk chair. In a few moments, he was granted limited access to its database and points of oversight all across Chiba.

These were all "gifts" bestowed upon Hachiman by Bruce Wayne. The former had been more than overwhelmed by such generosity, actually creeping out a smile for once. Bruce didn't have the heart to admit that the resources he had given the teen were just redundancies and far outclassed by his own personal quantum supercomputer and armory. Even someone like Batman couldn't avoid tedious spring-cleaning every once in a while. He was just lucky enough this year to have a new, young colleague who could put the technology to good use. Really, the billionaire thought it was a far better solution than just throwing everything into the Bat-Incinerator.

_"Alfred, understand this. One man's trash is another man's foundation for his personal citywide overwatch and vigilante headquarters."_

_-Bruce Wayne, about a week ago._

And so, the Batwing had been discreetly sent over Chiba to drop loads of midnight deliveries throughout the past week. It was sheer, dumb luck that no one had noticed the young vigilante carry every package to the abandoned sewers by the canal—the location of his Den. At least Huntsman believed that was the case, since his new cameras and sensors have yet to catch anybody poking around this remote location.

Installation had been a _massive_ bitch, the young man having had to rely on pre-recorded instructions and no cell service due to being underground. It had been a grueling first two days, resulting in Hachiman swallowing his pride after painstakingly reactivating a complex leaky coax system for access to the Internet. Covertly connecting the far off place to an external base station was nigh _impossible_, but he reluctantly persevered. Even then, it was admittedly a sloppy job done and he'd have to perform further maintenance whenever he had time before the network completely faltered.

The _first_ laggy video call he made from the depths of the Hunter's Den was to no one else other than Alfred Pennyworth. A gracious, sympathetic man who was more than happy to ease the poor boy's suffering with _much_ clearer instructions on installing the other systems that _Master Bruce_ had provided. Well, most of them were just a matter of plugging cables in to certain ports and managing generator power levels, but that was all beyond the scope of the young man's knowledge at the time.

"Saize on me the next time you drop by Japan, Alfred-_sama_…" Hachiman whispered to himself in jest.

He was currently recording brief profiles of the various goons he had confronted that night, cross-examining their records with others arrested that week alone. What Captain Yin had mentioned turned out to be true. Save for a few outliers, the majority of thugs he had beaten down were underlings once financially connected to Yukinoshita Yukari, directly or otherwise. The only silver lining Hachiman found was that all of these gangs were now disjointed beyond relief. Each gang struggled for money and power, neither one ever getting the upper hand due to the incompetence of their respective faction leaders. Hachiman had each of them figured for nothing more than jumped up cutthroats and petty thugs. None of them were a mastermind or strategos in the making, unlike their previous benefactors.

_They say if you cut off the head of a hydra, two more would rise up in its place. But let's say you've cut off all the 'capable' heads at once. Specifically the ones with the sharpest, venom-laced fangs. What happens then to the beast? Multiple baby heads, all vying for a cut of the pie? _

Hachiman believed he would find out the answer to his thought, sooner rather than later. The new heads of the 'hydra' were smaller but most certainly a threat, as indicated by the small hole in his shoulder. He was in for a messy, bloody fight in the next few weeks to come.

At the very least, it appeared Chiba's former terrible trio were getting quite reamed by the public and relevant institutions. Some of the specifics were lost to the young man while he worked on the Den, but he caught the main points for sure. It relieved him how all three were quickly trimmed away like fat. Hayama Hanzo had been disbarred following his arrest at the airport, his law firm raided and now defunct. Yukinoshita Daishi was experiencing a rather disgraceful fall from politics, and his wife? The _lovely_ lady who called the shots?

Yukinoshita Yukari lost control of her company, not before liquidating a ton of financial assets before getting cut off. All for the purpose of fighting the legal charges that the Prosecutor's Office have placed against her and the other two conspirators. Damage control was impossible to formulate once the evidence had spread beyond the grasp of the police department. Their entire empire was crumbling quick and would become a shameful footnote in Chiba's history. The Matriarch and her cohorts couldn't possibly overturn the sense of honor and duty still _somehow _prevalent in Japanese society.

_But if you really understood them, you'd know they absolutely hated losing the respect and sight of their children more than anything else. Well, that doesn't ring true in Yukinoshita Haruno's case anymore, for some reason still unknown to me… _

"The nightly crime spree in the Chiba Prefecture continues to hold strong—"

Hachiman's train of thought derailed upon hearing the voice of an old fart. He quickly swerved himself from the monitor to the news report playing on the television, feeling a sharp sting in his shoulder as a result. Although it was a daunting first line, he needed to hear exactly what was said about the nightly fallout of Chiba.

"A total of _ninety_ alleged criminals have been arrested across all the wards of the Chiba capital last night alone. Twenty-seven of which, an inside source has told us, were halted by the vigilante known as the Huntsman—"

"—_Ninety total this time_. I knew last night was going to be a hellish prime time for these crooks to strike, but that's just nauseating. And, according to the Captain Yin, about... seventy of them will turn out to be former Matriarch lackeys," he surmised.

Hachiman went back to connecting whatever dots he could. Occasionally successful, he accessed a backdoor installed to the Chiba Prefecture Police Department's updated database. Knowing about the other sixty-three criminals arrested by the police force could prove helpful.

_Ignore the fact that this 'virus' resource is something I was also... given._

The news report continued to play in the background and Hachiman listened as intently as he could while surfing away.

"In response to the rise of burglary, assault, and gang violence, many political officials and the police have urged the citizens of Chiba to remain aware of their surroundings and follow a recommended curfew time of 8:00 PM every night if possible—"

"—Tch. What a joke." The young man scoffed.

"—But their unified statements seem to have fallen on deaf ears.

Following Yukinoshita Daishi's recent resignation from his seat on the National Diet, a survey has found that people have exponentially lost overall faith in their elected representatives. A growing sect of the population has called for an extensive investigation pertaining to the finances of other National Diet members. Particularly in those who have worked at least once in conjunction with the Yukinoshita family.

Prime Minister Eba took a defensive position in yesterday's press conference, assuring the public that there are ongoing internal inquiries and there is no tolerance for such criminality across all parties. Any specific details remain undisclosed, with recent conducted polling reflecting people's growing ire and transfer of trust. It appears people of all ages have taken to appraise the illegal vigilante activities of a masked man, again, known only as the Huntsman. The vigilante's favorability has skyrocketed since his apparent clash with an unidentified beast ravaging downtown Chiba.

There was a majority consensus amongst random passerby whom Chiba-based JNN field reporters asked questions on their opinions on the Huntsman and the growing situation in Chiba.

'_The line between common street rats and people like the Yukinoshitas has been blurred. What's wrong with putting my faith into some freak handling justice like the police?_'

'_His red eyes are, like, gross. But… I dunno. I'd totally feel bad if he just left us, especially now. My sisters and I feel safer with him around, I guess? Still—gross._'

'_Real life Revengers! Haha! Huntsman should really think of a name change though. He's too much like Batman-sama. The one from Gotham City of course, hehe. Maybe he could be a badass like Ronin! W-Without the killing part… _'"

"Fat chance, ya damn chunni…" Hachiman deadpanned.

"Japan Network News coverage of Chiba, more after the break—"

Hachiman flicked the television off with a nearby remote, having heard more than enough of its chatter. Unfortunately, it appeared he jumped the gun as the Chiba Police department had yet to update its database. He assumed the sheer volume of criminals arrested that night delayed processing; later would be a better time to check things out. Still opting for a digital approach, the teen clicked over to a local news aggregator website on a separate monitor.

Any and all irrelevant news gathered by the website were skipped over. Puff pieces, opinion editorials, tech news, international news, and rehashed material were largely ignored. Despite the abundance, it didn't take him long to wade through all the "bullshit" and find stuff concerning the crime in Chiba. One piece in particular drew his attention in with its headline alone. Reading beyond that greatly upset him.

"Mom and Pop coffee shop in the Wakaba Ward robbed of 500,000 yen left in a cabinet safe. Duo burglars caught on CCTV currently on the loose…"

Hachiman resisted sinking into his chair, tightly gripping the soft leather arm instead. Sighing, he flicked his sight back over to the main monitor, determined to analyze the available CCTV tape footage as best he could.

_Two lucky bastards got away last night. I spent too much time just… talking._

He sighed once again, this time at the crap quality of the given video footage. This was a side case that would take time and honestly? Mulling over it felt just like assessing the fate of a wet napkin in a water park on a rainy day. Hachiman figured he could try his hardest, but knew justice would never come to fruition for this small business. It was unfair.

_Just like everything else in life._

"Be less like Batman, huh? What the hell makes any of them think I'm even at that level?" he griped.

For sure, a part of him was glad to have heard the restrained appreciation that the public had in regards to his work. But whatever enthusiasm they graciously conveyed only resurfaced feelings of self-doubt within him. As if that wasn't bad enough, being aware of his own insecurities _also _stressed the young man out even further. It was a vicious cycle. Even that small bout of annoyance was enough to flare up Hachiman's injuries all at once. He clutched his bruised, wounded body, taking deep breaths so as to not agitate himself even further. Settling into the thick comfort of his chair and breathing slowly somehow did the trick.

Still, it did absolutely nothing to quell Hachiman's self-perceived shortcomings. His feet dangled from the desk chair, making him feel like a small child. The limitations of his average physical stature troubled him. He also didn't forget how he forced Captain Yin to become his partner, rather than being able to convince her. It was now very clear that his words alone weren't good enough. Both body and speech weren't up to the standards that he desired.

"The intellect. That... charisma that Wayne has, can't be taught overnight. And me having passed seventeen almost certainly means this is as far as my body will grow," he said to himself, slightly stretching both legs.

*_rumble_* *_rumble_*

Hachiman paused at the sudden noise and looked to his stomach in sheer disbelief.

"...I _just_ had an egg and a banana. What more could you want, fatty—"

"_New Message Received._"

A female computer voice spoke and Hachiman turned his hands away from his non-existent love handles to the Batcomputer. As expected, he had received a notification from none other than the system's creator and administrator. The Batman.

It had been a few days since they last spoke and, even then, it was for only a few minutes around the time Hachiman began his usual rounds. Either something important must have come up or the man had just sought to check in with the younger hero. There was also reason to doubt either possibility, however.

_Six in the morning here makes it five in the afternoon in Gotham. _His_ night won't start off for another few hours, so it might be Alfred. _

He peered over to the message itself. It read: _'Accept the call coming within a minute.'_

"Huh," he muttered.

Shortly after, Hachiman did indeed receive a call that passed all the necessary secure checkpoints. Confident that it came from the BatCave that his compatriots once mentioned, he clicked to accept. The application buffered and the teen fervently crossed his fingers, hoping his internet hadn't crapped out. Within a few moments however, a sharp video display appeared in place of the usual audio-only interface. Unexpectedly, Hachiman found himself staring into what was possibly the sternest pair of blue eyes he'd ever seen in his life.

The man whom they belonged to was sitting in an identical desk chair, the side of his face resting on his closed right palm. In contrast with the armored Huntsman, he was clad in a short-sleeved, black button-down shirt and slacks, no sign of facial grease, nor a jet-black hair out of place.

It was the first time they'd come face to face without either of them having a mask or cowl on. Something within Huntsman almost drove him over to the charging dock to retrieve his red and black mask, but he refrained himself from the action. He opted to meet Bruce Wayne's gaze head on.

_Damn. I would have preferred a heads up or if this had been on my own terms... What's done is done. No use complaining about it when there are other important topics in mind._

Bruce Wayne smirked at Huntsman's refusal to look away. The latter felt a sense of pride wash over him immediately after. But was it really pride or something more akin to stubbornness? It was something Huntsman wouldn't get the chance to discern as Gotham City's _Dark Knight _finally began this unexpected exchange.

"_Morning_, Huntsman."

"Wayne, good afternoon."

Bruce eyed the tired mess before him. "Long night, I presume?"

Huntsman couldn't help but sigh. "That's one way of putting it but nothing I couldn't handle. I wish I had more time to sort things through. My apologies for the present mess here, I guess."

Huntsman gestured to the vast amount of boxes lying behind him. There was no doubt in his mind that Bruce was able to see the unorganized chaos. A chaos of the Batman's own doing, Bruce himself had to admit.

"Trust me, the sight of clutter is less painful than being in its presence must feel. You'll get to it eventually. Alfred's informed me of the steady progress you've made within _just_ a few days."

_Gah, I've been found. Spare me any lectures about playing hooky, yeah?_

Huntsman gave the man a pointed look. "Y'know, when I told you the location of this place and even accepted your offer to help, I didn't expect… all of this. I'm grateful, not sure how to express that greatly without at least saying 'thank you'—"

Bruce held up a hand. "Unnecessary. Recall last week when I told you to thank me by protecting Chiba, which I'm certain you've taken steps to do so while performing the installations."

"Yes, that's for sure," Huntsman answered. He ducked down to the desk for a second, unlocking a compartment containing relevant notes and evidence he procured. There were some other stuff that he left digitized, requiring him to open an encrypted folder visible on a smaller monitor to his right. "I also followed through with what was discussed last time."

"Oh? You're going to have to be more specific," said Bruce, sporting a curious look.

"I made a handoff with the BatWave Commlink to none other than Captain Yin herself," Huntsman steadily revealed.

There was a moment of silence between them both, before the older man motioned for the other to continue. "And?"

"...I believe she's in for it, again. She seemed rightly attuned to the device. The only problem I have is she hasn't responded to my messages at least once." Huntsman hesitated but bent the truth about how he got the female officer on board. This attempt, however, was in vain and met with a fervent scowl by Bruce.

"..."

Huntsman met the scowl, albeit a little confused at the motion. "What? You disapprove? Captain Yin appeared to be the only viable candidate last we spoke. Not for nothing, but I get the feeling the cultural difference of opinion between a Japanese native and a "Yankee" on vigilantism is probably far too great. The former would probably drop me the second I _littered _or if there was a promotion involved. It was only logical for her to be the first—"

"—_Flawless logic_. But you shouldn't be surprised to find sticklers and opportunists beyond those in Japan. Although she is _definitely _an exception, Captain Yin's circumstances prior to her leave from Gotham would have made her think twice before taking up this type of partnership once again. She has a good, _hard _head on her shoulders, I know this much and more first-hand. So am I to assume that this decision wasn't entirely of her free will?" Bruce asked, gesturing at the younger man with a raise of his palm.

Huntsman did not wholly appreciate the action. He felt like a child caught doing something mischievous.

_Saw through that right away. I guess it was hard to believe someone like me has the persuasion skills of an incubus… _

He let the moment pass and gathered his bearings, trying to come up with some form of a response. "I _did_ ask you what happened. If I were given _certain _information then perhaps I wouldn't have made an attempt."

"Absurd as it may sound, your consideration and insight should supplement for what you lack in intel. In Captain Yin's case, I've deliberately made it her choice whether or not to hash out the details," Bruce explained.

"That goes for a lot of your associates, partners or otherwise," said Huntsman.

"Yes and I'm keeping it that way for the time being. Be prepared to think situations through before taking an action, even on tasks I recommend to you. But you were right to inform me of bringing Captain Yin back into the fold, something that I don't _wholly_ disapprove of."

"So you commend my results, but not my methods? That's…" Huntsman broke off, a feeling of déjà vu washing over him.

"That's just my opinion. Nothing more," Bruce finished, staring right at the young vigilante with expectant eyes, anticipating his next response. For the moment, Huntsman gathered his thoughts again before speaking.

_So even you. You're not the first... nor will you be the last to tell me that. I guess this is the part where two parties agree to disagree. I can't and won't take this back. Got myself a partner in the force and there's other people to talk about._

"Well, that's all I have to say about her, for now," said Huntsman, crossing his arms..

Huntsman looked into Bruce's eyes once again, vying for some form of reaction. The former figured his tone was perhaps a bit too lax for the current situation and he'd have to clear up this misunderstanding. However, Bruce only nodded evenly at him before turning his sight to another monitor and typed away.

"Hmm. Glad you didn't ask me if the next course of action was to take back that commlink and detract your new partnership. No need to discuss why _that_ would be a terrible move. Moving on, are there any new developments on your _Most Wanted_ list—"

Bruce was suddenly interrupted by a faint voice behind him.

"—Ah, I was wondering why you were being more talkative than usual, Master Wayne. I'm quite relieved to see you conversing with a colleague rather being on another one of your incoherent monologues," a familiar face remarked, finally having stepped into frame right beside the playboy billionaire.

Alfred Pennyworth, as immaculately dressed as ever and sporting a very well-rested expression on his face—one that neither of the two younger men could ever hope to achieve nowadays. His hands held a white tray containing a bottle of pills, medicinal syrup, a glass of water, and a shiny silver spoon.

_Someone's not as healthy as they appear._ Huntsman thought as he glanced at Bruce.

Alfred turned to the young vigilante, appearing very happy to see the latter doing just well. As 'well' as a teenager fighting large thugs could be, at the very least. Huntsman endured the pain of his aching bones as he sat up to greet the old butler through the monitor.

"Good morning, Hikigaya-san."

"Yo. Nice to see you, Alfred," Hachiman responded.

"The feeling is mutual—you have my deepest apologies for the sudden intrusion. However, it is crucial that Master Bruce finish his prescribed medicine, lest that _horrid_ fever claws its way back in full force. Unfortunate that only one of us understands the need to follow proper medical instructions. Here you are, _sir_," Alfred finished, placing the tray beside his 'liege'.

"..._Thank you_, Alfred," Bruce muttered, reaching for a bottle. It might have been for just a split second, but Hachiman could have sworn he saw a rare tinge of discomposure come from the almighty Wayne. It was unexpectedly amusing to witness the butler's sway over him.

"Yes, just remember to conserve your energy for tonight. Honestly, it's good to see our friend from the East but do consider _his_ need for adequate rest as well, sir. Time is finicky for young students," explained Alfred, a bit scoldingly.

Once again, Alfred turned to the younger man still clad in his armor. Unlike how it was with Bruce Wayne, Hachiman ultimately appreciated the butler's expectant, concerned look. Not wanting to be on the receiving end of his ire, however, the young man moved to quickly reassure his elder.

"I'll be alright, thanks. School's off today, I've eaten, and there's more than enough time to join my household for some slumber later."

"Your studies?"

"Going as well as expected. But I've been catching up."

Hachiman was referring to his completion of the homework that a classmate dropped earlier in the week. He didn't mention the part of his recent truancy, however.

_You've got _my_ deepest apologies, Alfred. There's no way I'm spilling the beans about my prolonged absence from Sobu to you… _

The butler was clearly skeptical of Hachiman's practiced poker-face. Nonetheless, he decided to let go of the issue in pursuit of another task that required his attention.

"Very well, please continue and don't strain yourself any longer than necessary. I'll be over there if you need me, Master Bruce." Alfred rolled up his sleeves and nodded at both of the younger men before stepping aside to another part of the Batcave.

As Bruce fiddled with a bottle, Huntsman opened up his reports and side notes of three major subjects on his _Most Wanted_ list. Once Bruce appeared to be done and waiting, the younger vigilante started off with the new intel he acquired concerning a certain feline-lady. The one who disappeared since he last _sat_ her down.

"Nekonee-chan. Woman-cat hybrid whose mutation was supposedly induced at Chiba University. As of Monday, I was able to confirm that much and more.

Her real name is Kanai Ai. Age 20. Enrolled into Chiba University two years ago with a concentration in the Sciences, obviously. A member of an advanced, genetic engineering research group led under Dr. Achilles Milo, previously known as the Man-Owl. Like him, the mutation garnered Kanai enhanced agility, strength, and endurance whilst transformed. Her reflexes and dexterity were also inhuman—those cat-like features aren't just for show."

"Impressive summary. I assume you've only made the Milo connection after realizing who else had once studied under him?" Bruce asked.

"Yes. As I've mentioned before, Yukinoshita Haruno was also Kanai's colleague and friend. I recovered her student records and schedule, leading me to video footage of Kanai swiping material right under Achilles' nose. Separate footage also confirms she reconfigured those chemicals by herself for many nights, before performing self-injections. Her transformation was no accident and she appears able to mutate at will, perhaps with a better degree of control than Milo.

Since our last encounter, Kanai—_Nekonee_ has taken a leave of absence from her studies. I retrieved her apartment address on file from the university and found it to be abandoned. No signs that anyone's been there for at least a week.

All that said, she remains my lowest priority," Huntsman finally finished, taking a breath.

"Is it possible this woman left the Chiba Prefecture and the double life altogether?" Bruce asked, looking away with a bit of disinterest.

"I can't say. Well, perhaps not, since she was _quite_ fond of Yukinoshita Haruno. Not sure Nekonee would leave her alone at a time like this…" Huntsman offered.

"A cure was synthesized for Man-Owl. It's more than likely one can be made for Kanai Ai's specific mutation, using a DNA sample. Capture and extract on sight, not necessarily in that order. As for Yukinoshita Haruno… more on _her _later." Bruce finished with a tone that Huntsman couldn't identify.

_News on Yukinoshita Haruno? Shit… _

Huntsman squinted his eyes, wondering what Bruce meant by that cryptic line. There was nothing in his notes detailing any significant developments involving Yukinoshita Haruno, other than a hidden recording of his own doing and whatever else that was available to the public. Which wasn't much since she took to giving all stalking news reporters nothing other than a staunch poker-face and 'no comment' comments. She had done her part backing the evidence he found and was complying with the police and prosecutors.

There was some surprise in seeing Haruno keep her end of the bargain; Huntsman respected that by keeping his own word in the end. He had more or less refrained himself from perturbing either of the Yukinoshita daughters since the night of the Bishamonten incident, only remotely checking in a couple of nights ago. Perhaps that was a mistake on his part but, for now, Huntsman would patiently wait to hear whatever news Bruce held about the Yukinoshita heiress.

There was no use in wishing her and the younger one to be spared if there was any wrongdoing on their part. Unknowingly, even to himself, he hoped it wouldn't have to come to that. At the moment, there was another unfortunate girl that Huntsman wanted to talk about.

"Next is Lady Comedy, whose real name is Isshiki Iroha. Age 15, turning 16 this April. She's a first year at Sobu High—my kohai. But you know that much already. A missing person's report was filed a couple of weeks ago with the police by the Sobu High administration in place of her mother, Isshiki Chiaki.

Where else to begin with this girl? Her father was Isshiki Isamu. Archived news reports show he was gunned down at his home by two unidentified thugs, right in front of his daughter. She… remained beside her father's bleeding corpse for close to an _hour _before an officer retrieved her." Huntsman finished with a grim tone.

"The mother?" Bruce asked.

"Sobu's records gave me an address and I paid their shabby apartment a _subtle_ visit. The death of of Isshiki Isamu seems to have deteriorated Isshiki Chiaki into a drunken, jobless mess, living mostly off of government aid. After seeing this woman's living state, I suspect _child abuse_. Like she told me before."

"Hmph. 'She' as in Isshiki Iroha herself? Refresh me where and when this conversation took place again. In any case, you'd have to take the word of a mentally ill person with a grain of salt. Certain psychopaths have a keen ability to mix in lies with a bit of truth. Are you positive that the mother's inebriated state wasn't a coincidence? Just the obvious result of a widow losing sight of her only child?" Bruce pressed.

"Yes, I'm sure. Again, the missing person's report was filed by Sobu High—_not_ by Isshiki Chiaki. There were no signs that Isshiki Iroha has been home for _weeks_ now. Her bedroom was littered with old broken glass bottles and flipped furniture, most likely out of rage from the mother. It's safe to say there was no love here.

Going through Isshiki's belongings gave me locations where she conducted operations as Lady Comedy. This includes the abandoned Maid Café that she brought me to… from that time she abducted me as 'Hachiman'." Huntsman reminded him, albeit reluctantly. He felt a lecture coming from Bruce a mile away, even before looking back up from his report.

"_Right_. Yes, it's still difficult to believe this 'Isshiki' didn't look into your bag and find your mask at the time. Any reason to think otherwise? There are many steps to be taken if you've been compromised by someone with an unstable mindset. I also take it you've made sure to only bring the subtle _essentials _with you during the day, since the first time we went over this." Bruce remarked with a frustrated tone, similar to that of a scolding upperclassmen.

"Yeah yeah, I only get myself ready when I'm down here now. I can't be completely certain if she's connected the dots until the next time I see her. Though I have a _feeling_ she would have done something to garner my attention any night I've been out in armor. But Isshiki has only ever reached out to me during the day, at school. The last time being that newspaper clippings letter from a week ago." Huntsman offered, bringing up a scanned copy of said letter to the shared screen.

"From what you've told me, Isshiki Iroha has you _marked_ for a connection of some sort. People as afflicted as her tend to keep the things they _covet_ contained and under scrutiny." Bruce said in turn, his eyes narrowed at the cryptic letter.

"...And Sobu is the _cage_ that she could peek into at any time," Huntsman recognized.

"Exactly. Don't let her find you scurrying off to your Den, for obvious reasons. Find any leads as to what she might be doing at the moment? I recall you saying, as with everything else, her father's tragic end would be the focal point," Bruce asked, not knowing this question would lead to the Huntsman's silence.

"..." The armored teen refused to look up from his pages. He couldn't tell if this was out exhaustion or a rebellious reluctance.

"...Huntsman." Bruce finally called out, both of their eyes meeting through their respective screens. Despite this, Huntsman decided against cutting to the chase in favor of reviewing why _Lady Comedy_ came about in someone like Isshiki Iroha. He had a feeling sharing this context would be useful in the long run.

"...Before that, I want it noted that I dug through the Isshiki family's medical history and found no record of psychotic, depressive behaviors from members of either her father's or mother's side. Isshiki Iroha was put into psychiatric hold on the evening of her father's death, after an attempted _suicide_ with a nurse's pen at Inoue Memorial Hospital.

Isshiki was released two weeks later with the condition that she attend therapy... which only lasted for two months after her appointed therapist declared her mentally _sane_ and sound," Huntsman finished sarcastically.

"You suspect she performed something… _degrading_ to achieve that declaration? Unfortunately, doing such acts to escape surveillance isn't an uncommon occurrence." Bruce clasped his hands together, looking off to the side.

Huntsman in turn, shot up in his seat and shook his head fervently at the implications. He rushed to deny them fully.

"_No_. God no. The therapist was female, modestly accredited, and seemed sincere in her written files. It's more likely that Isshiki Iroha adapted her psyche to the situation and had everyone fooled. She managed to escape a proper diagnosis, graduated from an above average middle school to _Sobu_ _High_, and kept her mental illness under wraps for quite a while. Actually, the public still sees her as a missing student and not at all as Lady Comedy."

Revealing this caused Bruce to shut his eyes from the younger man, as if thinking what to say next. It was quite rare to see this man not speak out an immediate solution for a case of this nature. From this, Huntsman could only assume his colleague already knew what the next course of action should be and that he only paused to consider telling the former in the _gentlest_ way possible. He would advise Hunts—Hachiman to make a difficult decision, regardless of Isshiki Iroha's reputation and future.

In truth, Hachiman already had a semblance of a clear, logical route, but he stubbornly buried it in the back of his head. It resembled too similarly to the actions he took when 'betraying' one of his few acquaintances just a week ago. In that case, her entire life had been terrorized at his discretion. He didn't rejoice at the sight of her wretched state when he attempted to enter the clubroom at the beginning of the week. Coincidentally enough, the young man got "sick" and began staying home from school the very next day.

Isshiki Iroha should be nothing to Hikigaya Hachiman or the Huntsman in comparison and yet, the few options he had left for this particular girl made his stomach churn. To this day, Hachiman still couldn't tell if the last time he saw Isshiki Iroha's look of fear and confusion was genuine, a trick of the light, or just wishful thinking on his part. He had to remind himself that she was also pointing a gun to his head at that moment. There was no time to focus beyond dodging her crazed shots.

It hardly mattered, as his selfish empathy won in the end. A sharp bout of pain ran through Huntman's shoulders as he observed Bruce finally opening his eyes, looking ready to give his opinion.

"Do _you_ plan on keeping it that way for much longer? I've mentioned it once offhand but, if she truly doesn't know about your identity, there's absolutely _nothing_ holding you back from revealing Isshiki Iroha as Lady Comedy to the police of Chiba. The pros of doing so are obvious. Captain Yin could help you facilitate this fact to her department if you hand over the evidence." Bruce said calmly.

It was just as Huntsman had expected and he was ready to give a hasty rebuttal. "It's not that simple. Lad—Isshiki may be a psychotic criminal, but she's also a... victim of circumstance. I want to avoid agitating her further into the deep end, especially since a semblance of her humanity is still intact. Informing the entire department would be helpful, but it also could cause me to lose her altogether. As far as I know, the only one who she's exposed her double life to is 'Hachiman'. Telling that to the police would put myself and the people around me in danger—"

"—You and everyone else are already in danger. Hasn't she attacked your school _twice_ already, for the sake of another boy?" Bruce pressed on.

"She has no reason to do so anymore since I've already been deemed 'worthy' of her obsession. I'm not going to invite any unneeded police surveillance over myself either." Huntsman replied calmly.

"You last point's taken, but everything before that was disturbing to hear. Will you be able to handle this burden when she inevitably goes after you—alone and without armor? You may have reached something in this girl as yourself last time but, even then, you were _shot_ at. Don't allow this to become personal," said Bruce, putting emphasis on his last point.

Huntsman wondered for a moment if Bruce had been speaking out of experience, but figured this wasn't the time to ask about it. He didn't think the experienced vigilante would deign to share such examples anyway. There was no need for the older man to do; Huntsman knew he was definitely on the losing end of this argument.

Still, he chose to persevere. There was an admittedly dirty tactic that the fish-eyed hero had up his sleeve. He had yet to share a certain crucial point with Gotham's _playboy_. The time was now.

"Certain _people_ of Gotham have already made things personal before I even came about. Sticking their noses in Chiba for... whatever the hell tickles their fancy. No regard for people like me and Isshiki. I'm talking about wretched people beyond Black Mask." Huntsman stated, looking pointedly at the other man.

"...What is it that you've found?" Bruce asked after a moment.

Huntsman didn't immediately oblige him, there was much more to state and he'd lose his voice and coherence were he to just cut to the chase.

"Trust me when I say I _abhor_ describing criminals as 'victims of circumstances'. I think it's no different from the sort of copout explanation that people use on monsters, ranging from sociopathic youths to adult criminals. Calling them 'misunderstood' and other crud like that.

But when it comes to Isshiki Iroha's case? With everything I learned about her and her parents, I can't help but apply that label upon her—"

"—What happened to Isshiki Iroha was not her fault, _yes_. It was... her father's responsibility and the people he became involved with, but everything that came afterward was her doing," Bruce interrupted.

"Yeah, I can't _fully_ deny that last part. You're also more than right about her ability to mix lies with the truth. As it stands, however, everything she told me that night was just the truth and I plan to exploit whatever _sentiment_ she's associated with me for the purpose of bringing her in. As for Isshiki Isamu? He only wanted to perform what a father is expected to do. To provide for his family, not become part of some smuggling operation. I'll never know the man, but he certainly took a level of responsibility working menial labor jobs for his family," Huntsman argued.

Bruce scowled at the contrasting arguments that Huntsman provided for his stance on the two Isshikis. "This burden you foolishly plan on taking aside, I meant no disrespect to the innocent citizen who needlessly died years ago. I still won't backtrack on what I said, but I will add his responsibility ends right after taking that job. Ultimately, we know that the tragedies that befell upon this marlboro man and his family came from Sionis Roman's previous operations and Yukinoshita Yukari allowing them to take place for a cut. With this, you and Isshiki Iroha are their unintended consequences. Theirs'_ alone_, if I'm not mistaken?"

_You are. We both were._

"That's the thing. Initially, I too blamed Yukinoshita Constructions for opening Chiba to the underworld market, resulting in cases such as mine and Isshiki's. The Matriarch and Black Mask are definitely paying for their crimes at the moment. No doubt they share that responsibility. I'm close to reaching _my_ justice, but the same can't be said for Isshiki Iroha and many others," Huntsman spoke gravely.

"...Don't keep me in suspense. What is it that you've found?" Bruce asked again, appearing skeptical. Despite this, he chose to hear the younger man out and Huntsman made sure to meet that respect with every detail he had left.

"Isshiki Isamu. Only lived to the age of 35. Never went to college and, again, only worked as a blue-collar laborer since high school. Racked up a sheer amount of debt from his youthful days of gambling. He also ensured his daughter became more academically inclined than she would have been if left alone. Found payments for tutors, cram school, and the whole nine yards.

There was nothing but a few mementos and documents left by Isshiki Isamu at the time of his death. One of which was a _bounced_ check by what I assume was the last company he worked for—'Chimera Chems'. While that turned out to be a crapshoot, _shell_ company, it was still titled as a subsidiary of a much larger one. And, like a diligent working man, he wore its uniform everyday including his last.

These are photos I recovered of it from the police's evidence storage. Stained with old blood and riddled with bullet holes… but the English is still legible enough to read." Huntsman finished quietly, transferring a stored photo file over their call.

It only took a second for the gravity of the situation to set within Bruce Wayne, Huntsman observed. Seeing the older man's eyes bulge for once, chilled his bones.

"Ace Chemicals…" Bruce trailed off, anguish reeling in the inflection of his voice.

Huntsman continued. "Yes. And my limited access to your database led me to a dead end when searching for more intel. All I could do was identify its last official owner as someone named 'Napier Jack'."

"You did _what_?" said Bruce, swiftly turning his head at the teen.

"—_Napier Jack_, a person with no records other than being the last male Gothamite to own Ace Chemicals before the company went under. Strangely enough, he's also listed as an alias of some rogue, again, in _your_ database—"

Huntsman was interrupted by a sudden jerk on the other end of the line. Shockingly, Bruce had thumped his palms on the table as he shot up from his own seat. The younger lad curiously shuffled around, observing the older man shake his bowed head before letting out an indignant sigh.

"_What else have you found on this individual?"_

Taken aback, Huntsman blinked. "Hah? I don't—"

"—_Any suspicion and I mean even the smallest sign that this person, or Ace Chemicals, still has ongoing operations over in Japan?" _Batman interrupted once more, his voice pitched lower than ever and his eyes narrowed into a penetrating glare. A look clearly meant to discourage liars.

"Hmm. Nothing but a shoddy, abandoned 'Chimera Chems' warehouse that's been closed off to the public for years. I've yet to visit that place," Huntsman calmly answered.

"_You're sure you haven't? Don't lie to me on this, Huntsman,_" the Gothamite nearly growled, his blood coming to a boil.

_Seems this news brought out the 'Bat' in Wayne. I really didn't_ _think_ _this far ahead._

Sitting straight, Huntsman rebutted. "_I'm not_ _lying_. The last thing I wanted to do was to step into a strange place like this without any knowledge of its previous activities. That includes details about its owner, Napier, whom I have _limited _access towards."

"That's—yes. That's what it'll have to be, for now," Batman trailed off.

"What? I have good reason to—"

"—No. Listen closely, anything else that comes up about this 'Napier Jack', forward it to me as soon as possible." Batman interrupted again, seemingly having calmed himself with admirable, quick restraint. Any tension that was building up between the two had lessened from his side.

Except Huntsman couldn't help but clench a fist after being given such an odd, explicit demand. No explanation was given, just a task he had to follow like a good errand boy. As if he was nothing more than a _whelp_ after all was said and done. Huntsman's aim for bringing up this 'Napier' character was to achieve answers in the first place. He couldn't let this gambit of his end that way. He _wouldn't_. In spite of his self-doubts from earlier, Huntsman decided on going to bat for himself.

"...Y'know, giving me direct access to this guy's file could have its advantages. For one, I'd _actually_ know who to look for and anything else they did to Chiba. What good will my 'consideration and insight' do if I just so happen to find this person down the street, eating some peanuts and having a _laugh_? None. A chance is all I need."

The boy wouldn't understand for a long time that his proposal was no different than asking for a fate possibly worse than death. Bruce Wayne held no delusions that his younger peer was _completely_ clueless in regards to the adversaries of the Batman. In fact, he expected Huntsman to research everything he could, especially after Talia's assault on the Yukinoshitas and Chiba. Not conducting any research would have been irresponsible on his part and Batman couldn't fault him for that.

However, Bruce still refused to flippantly reveal anything about Batman's rogues gallery to just anyone—especially one as _green_ as the Huntsman. Despite being the savior of a city, it was still only his first year… and the last thing Bruce wanted was for the boy to get involved with a true psychotic, criminal mastermind. A force of nature that even the Batman struggled to take down on a daily basis.

Huntsman had a feeling the answer would be a resounding 'no' after the brooding man hadn't shifted from his position in the slightest. Once again, his personal appeal failed to move another person's decision towards his favor. Given the dark, gruff expression held by Bruce, Huntsman realized all he managed to do was touch the wrong nerve. He wasn't _totally_ terrified. In fact, he felt even more anxious to know about who exactly would cause such alarm and stress on the Batman. Unfortunately, for his curiosity, Huntsman would have to wait for another time.

"_No_. This is the _last _person I'll ever take chances on. Let me be even more clear on this. _Don't_ actively search for 'Napier Jack' anymore. If you just happen to come across any relevant intel, you _will_ forward it all to me and me alone. _Got it_?"

Batman had made his point and would remain immovable in regards to the issue. Huntsman chose to meet that stubbornness head on with his own.

"That's _not _possible. That warehouse is the only lead I have on Isshiki Iroha and it's important that I at least _scout_ the area before going in. Leaving it untouched and forgotten would be stupid," Huntsman mouthed off, leaning back in his chair.

They both sat still, refusing to look away from each other and risk blinking even once, as if they were a couple of boxers during a weigh-in.

Truthfully, the older of the two knew this was an unproductive stance for either of them to take and cooler heads should prevail. There were only a few people in the world that the Batman would refuse to compromise on. The revelation that 'Napier Jack' once had operations in Chiba disturbed Bruce to no end. Bruce himself had been in Japan for more than a few times and this had slipped under his radar until now. Only _he _would cause Bruce to foolishly lock horns with a rebellious teenager.

At some point, both males couldn't keep their watery eyes from blinking, so they just chose to look away at the same time and angst in silence.

Their furious, Japanese-spoken argument hadn't gone unnoticed by the other person in the BatCave. Luckily for the two brooding vigilantes, there was one level-headed mediator available nearby in the form of a well-dressed, aging butler. Alfred had paused from his maintenance of the Batmobile to investigate the sudden commotion—not failing to first wipe his dirty, oily hands, of course!

The butler only heard a sliver of their spat from across the room and didn't fully understand the seriousness of the situation. But that wasn't the root of the problem, really. Alfred intuitively knew It was likely that the young Hikigaya felt his autonomy challenged by the overtly domineering Wayne heir. It was a bad habit that 'Master Bruce' had faced since making his first batch of friends as a schoolboy. Either things went his way during playtime or, sadly enough, he felt better off going his own way. Only a few special people could successfully call out the Dark Knight's moments of bullheadedness, to counteract any negative energy triggered by psychotic beings.

Alfred Pennyworth was, by far, the best man for the job. He offered no words to the last Wayne of the world, only a knowing look to the man's cerulean orbs. The kind that sons received from caring, disciplined fathers.

In turn, Bruce's stubborn look had softened just ever so slightly, until he finally sighed and nodded in understanding. Between him and Huntsman, Bruce was the first to look back at the latter through the screen. He quickly scolded himself for getting riled up with the younger, angst-driven teenager. The boy hadn't done anything wrong besides keeping him in suspense about one crucial detail. Bruce knew that encroaching on his colleague's territory wasn't the best way to keep a connection afloat. This was a person who Batman felt partially responsible for, recalling how Huntsman referred to Bruce as 'aniki' at least once...

He could at least _deign_ to meet the younger man in the middle on another part of this issue. Ultimately, for the good of the mission.

"Huntsman, I won't stop you from pursuing a lead in regards to Isshiki Iroha. You certainly don't need my permission to scout ahead. It's _your_ jurisdiction, after all. However, I advise you to refrain from infiltrating this supposed warehouse for a few days to a week from now. I've had something in the works that just so happens to coincide with this revelation," explained Bruce.

"...You're not going to make another visit to Chiba over this, right? Is a joint, covert operation really needed for this?" Huntsman replied, still maintaining a scowl.

"Ideally, it would be. I consider anything involving _my_ 'Most Wanted' in need of a thorough investigation," said Bruce, busily typing away at another screen. "At the moment, my hands are tied with a _guaranteed _lead concerning the... other entities. Leaving Gotham now isn't an option for me."

"I don't understand. So it will all fall on me, then?"

"Not entirely. In my place, I will send over a few specific gadgets that may aid you with the actual infiltration. One of these will provide you with the ability to give us live updates while inside—give us 24 hours prior notice and Alfred will be in immediate contact on the day of. All we require is your patience. How does that sound?"

It sounded reasonably amazing to the younger man. Huntsman's ears had especially perked the moment Bruce almost revealed details of his Batman-related cases. But the older man had set a boundary, along with a compromise that would end with the infiltration of the 'Chimera Chems' warehouse in Chiba. There was probably a hidden catch to all this, Huntsman surmised. For the moment, he couldn't confirm his suspicions but decided to accept it altogether.

There were a couple of things he just had to voice out, however.

"...I'm more than okay with this arrangement and I'll report anything I find on 'Napier', no more questions asked. But will I have to retrieve this next supply drop from all over the rooftops of Chiba again? Because lemme tell you, lugging 30-plus kilograms worth of tech across the city was difficult. Doing multiple trips from different points was _hell_—_"_

"—Yet you managed and are better off from the experience," replied Bruce.

Huntsman deadpanned. "...So you admit to doing that on purpose. What kind of makeshift 'strength-training' was that?"

The older man waved his palm. "I have my reasons. Rest easy, this next one will contain delicate items that I'm not risking any form of hard-dropping via the Batwing. You'll have to personally retrieve them from Site B. I'll give you notice when to enter. Of course, I expect you to practice using these items as much as possible before the actual infiltration," said Bruce with a pointed look.

_Site B? Oh right, the Wayne Enterprises building in the city. With that one room that's a whole lot cleaner than this bunker I'm in._

"Will do, thank you again. Gotta say though, the Batwing's one thing but smuggling something into Chiba within a matter of a few days? Makes me kind of uneasy how nothing really escapes your reach," Huntsman pointed out.

"Well, I admit my resources come in handy and I do have international connections that have proven invaluable many times over. Perhaps _you'll_ prove to be one as well, sometime in the near future." Bruce replied in jest.

Huntsman crossed his arms. "_Funny_. Honestly, I meant to segue into learning exactly what it is you have on Yukinoshita Haruno that I don't and how you obtained it."

"You misunderstand. I didn't actively search for this bit of intel on Yukinoshita Haruno. It was brought to my attention in a meeting last night."

"B-Business-related? I'm not blaming you, just saying it's not good if I stay out of the loop, right? Especially since they're my, uh, responsibility," Huntsman said that last bit with hesitation not gone unnoticed by Bruce. The latter's eyes had narrowed ever so slightly and Huntsman felt scrutinized for what felt like the hundredth time since they began speaking.

"That they are. First, give me your own run-down on their cases and the company. Last we spoke, you should recall my own _purchase _of Yukinoshita Constructions." Bruce spoke matter of factly.

_You mean when you casually mentioned shelling out millions for a ruined company? Yeah, you show-off. I definitely remember that _kind_ gesture. What about it though?_

Huntsman hastily dug past his other reports for a recent newspaper clipping and an audio file on his monitor. Bruce was clearly unimpressed with the torn out article but Huntsman tried to not let that bother him and powered through, reading as audibly as he could.

"'The Prosecutor's Office has levied multiple counts of domestic and international bribery, voter fraud, embezzlement, obstruction of justice, tax evasion, extortion, conspiracy to traffic abusive substances, conspiracy to traffic _humans_, weapons smuggling'—you get the picture. They're all looking at hard time.

Yukinoshita Yukari and Yukinoshita Daishi voluntarily left their corporate and political positions respectively. Hayama Hanzo has been disbarred from practicing law ever again. All placed under house arrest and their passports were immediately revoked. Every one of their legitimate businesses have been raided, so I guess you've already been given info about the raids on Yukinoshita Constructions?" Huntsman asked.

"...Sure. Just go on," Bruce replied.

Huntsman complied. "Hayama Saya appears to have been completely uninvolved in the illicit activities of her husband and hasn't been charged with anything as of yet.

Same goes for Yukinoshita Haruno, though _I_ know she was fully aware of everything but didn't actively comply with her parents' corrupt acts. To the public, the former's just a housewife while the latter's just a university student."

"Hmph," Bruce let out with a smirk.

"...Please don't keep _me_ in suspense now," Huntsman responded, tossing the clipping on the desk.

Bruce, however, wouldn't oblige just yet. "Do you believe they'll actually spend time in a cell? Even with unmatched political and civilian pressure, and Japan's 'admirable' conviction rate—it seems hard to believe such prominent people will be fully or mostly convicted of their charges."

A bit displeased, Huntsman turned himself sideways away from the older man's gaze. This was definitely something he had mulled over the _second_ other Yukinoshita-linked officials were ousted from lawful institutions. Everything outside of the Hunter's Den was moving too quickly for the young man to react, whilst he spent much of his time unpacking and installing. A quick glance at the room reminded him that the base was still far from being finished and he would be going back to school the next day.

Staying 'home' was a beautiful lie but he couldn't keep it up forever. It was impossible for anyone to bury their heads in the sand as different kinds of villains were entrenched all over Chiba, all cornered but ready to lash out.

"Well, you have a point. The Yukinoshitas being exposed have caused some sort of domino effect. One wherein every official and organization they've been linked to have come under scrutiny. Nevermind just the petty thugs, we haven't passed a day without multiple white collar crimes being brought to light. Their reach was just so deeply rooted in various systems of Japan," said Huntsman.

"Not deeply enough from what you've just told me. Their rapid downfall almost appears artificial, your thoughts?" Batman asked.

"The only reason they're even being charged is because of public pressure, political and business adversaries smelling blood in the water, social media, and my involvement. I guess there's also the fact that _nothing_ as criminally historic has ever happened in Chiba. The past few months have been very different from the norm and, as with every human, everyone is so eager to "cancel" a cruel power. Even their _precious_ news networks have betrayed them, vilifying their actions and the government for once. Well, that's until they begin receiving funds and orders from a _new_ cash cow in the future, I believe.

They've been exposed on every level and there's a hefty opposition against them all in just a matter of _days _and yet… " Huntsman wavered, pausing to take a breath.

"Go on," Bruce pressed.

"Their assets were frozen, but not before they liquidated enough to fund a formidable defense team and beyond. I also have documents implying they have millions of _Swiss cheese _abroad available, so those three won't be running out of cash anytime soon. Not enough to fund all the lowly thugs once under their control, but enough to make me worried. It almost feels like they've evened the odds. Perhaps sixty to seventy percent chance they'll be convicted for _some_ of these charges," Huntsman finished sardonically.

"Not exactly what I'd call 'evening the odds'. A good start for their end, but they'll surely have other valuable pieces in play. There's also the idea that Yukinoshita Haruno might hinder what you ultimately seek from this case. From that look in your eye, you're not taking it well," Bruce commented, giving him a visual once over.

"Well, there's nothing wrong with me wanting their full conviction. Who knows how many people there are left in the justice system whose loyalty they've bought? Even with the Batcomputer, I've only been able to connect and expose five other officials since their arrest. I'm not omniscient and have probably missed paper and digital trails here and there. So hearing that you have something on Yukinoshita Haruno, even if you just learned it recently, is discouraging. Mostly because you're thousands of kilometers away and I'm right underneath the city. Just… what is it that _you've_ found?" Huntsman asked, a whiskey smooth edge to his voice.

Bruce clucked his tongue instead. "Describe her for me, in your own words."

Huntsman blinked in confusion, shrugging his arms. "...Yukinoshita Haruno? Tch, I haven't had the _privilege _of meeting her enough times to give a detailed report. Perhaps I can say she's manipulative, charismatic, shrewd, not above using her attractive looks—"

Bruce interrupted him. "Yes. I can only imagine how far she's used these gifts and skills in order to fulfill her desires. A resourceful woman, I have to add. Having put herself in a favorable position amongst the officials of Yukinoshita Constructions, reacquiring the assets that have been seized from her parents under her full control, and maintaining relations beyond her business circle—somehow all under the radar?

Quite the _shark _for a mere 'university student'."

Bruce left that last line hang on for a few moments, giving Huntsman another moment to think. The younger man initially cringed as the thought of Wayne falling for Yukinoshita Haruno's charms crossed his mind. Especially after the playboy billionaire had complimented her 'gifts' and 'resourcefulness'. It took a few seconds for the rest to process through Huntsman's tired mind but, eventually, the revelation hit him like a thousand volts.

"_What?! _You're telling me that… she actually..."

Bruce gave the younger man a small, tired smile before sighing with resignation.

"She's a _tricky _one, yes. When you assumed I purchased Yukinoshita Constructions last week, I had actually only given an undisclosed offer that should have been finalized as of yesterday evening. Instead, I've come to learn that one of its established shareholders, Yukinoshita Haruno, has pulled off and cashed in many favors with Yukinoshita Yukari's colleagues, starting even before the latter was ousted.

An insider of mine, let's call him Jin-san, revealed that many financial concessions and backroom partnerships were brokered. Certain contracts were either rescinded or updated with new clauses, most of which would benefit the lesser cronies of the company and beyond. Essentially, she changed a chunk of the company's framework which realigned key network components in _her_ favor, all under the guise of her mother's authority. Her new attorneys are well-funded and everyone else's hands were tied in the end. Enough work was accomplished by this _Haruno_ alone so that she became the majority shareholder and CEO of Yukinoshita Constructions as of two days ago."

"As of two days ago?! So then your offer…" Huntsman choked out.

Bruce offered him a nod. "Yes. As such, my purchase offer was soundly rejected and, for the past few hours, I've been on the receiving end of scrutiny from Gotham's own press. They've 'uncovered' my attempt to purchase a foreign company, formerly led by two corrupt individuals facing trial. The details were in a memo, forcibly leaked by_ my own _insider before he was promptly fired—her way of telling me to 'back off' I assume," Bruce finally finished with a scoff.

For the first time in years, Huntsman's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

_Holy crap._

Huntsman's throat tightened as he racked his brain for some form of explanation as to why this happened under his nose. But nothing substantial came in the end, he had no valid excuse for the Batman.

"..._Shit. _I should have seen this coming—I _apologize_ for not anticipating this... move," Huntsman weakly offered, still clearly taken aback by the news.

Bruce hadn't immediately turned back to look at the younger vigilante, but he definitely heard the sincerity in the latter's voice. Truthfully, there was not a shred of anger in the older man's veins against anyone else involved other than himself. More for possibly limiting his insider's future career path than anything else. Though he _was_ admittedly ticked off that this woman he's never met, from thousands of miles away, managed to dent his public playboy facade in such a shrewd manner.

But these issues weren't beyond his repair. Bruce would be contacting his head corporate liaison of the Chiba branch to fix 'Jin-san' with a well-paid position for his trouble. The next day, he would present a sufficient explanation for this attempted purchase to the Wayne Enterprises board of directors and any prying reporters.

Luckily enough, the rest of the week had been pre-scheduled with philanthropic activities involving the stray dogs and cats of Gotham. _Perfect _potential puff pieces for bleeding hearts like Vicki Vale to write up in her column, hopefully taking the heat off this mini-scandal.

As for Yukinoshita Constructions and its new owner? It was Bruce's decision to leave Yukinoshita Haruno the 'victor' in this small bout over her family's company. His purchase offer was foolishly made on a whim and so, he did not seek revenge against this woman. To do anything more, without reasonable prompting, would be overstepping many boundaries. As such, he also decided to leave the overall fate of Yukinoshita Haruno and Yukinoshita Constructions in the hands of the Huntsman.

Huntsman. The same young vigilante who heavy-handedly _destroyed_ her family's reputation for the next few generations to come. Bruce figured it was only fair that Hikigaya Hachiman, of all people, had the last say on the matter. Still, memories of Carmine Falcone's son surged through Bruce's mind when going over the possibilities of Yukinoshita Haruno's next move. The mess that Mario Falcone had created to avenge his father was a terrible footnote in Gotham's history...

Do-overs were impossible and Batman would have to live with the consequences of giving certain people the benefit of the doubt. But if Huntsman could avoid a tragedy with similar circumstances, with just a push in the right direction, Bruce was willing to offer such a nudge whenever possible. With his head raised and the posture of an emperor, he finally addressed the expectant teen.

"Don't waste time wondering what could have been. Follow my lead and take this development as a lesson. Time and time again will show us not to underestimate or dismiss anyone's ability to rise from a low point. However, it seems your personal description of Yukinoshita Haruno indicates this probably _should_ have been foreseen. Now she wields a valuable resource that her mother, Chiba's 'Matriarch', once held and fully exploited only a week ago... I know you understand where I'm going with this. "

Huntsman's head ducked down after hearing such a leading accusation from the Batman. He couldn't immediately repudiate anything after hearing that Yukinoshita Haruno practically slighted his billionaire sponsor. Even a newbie like himself would come to such a logical conclusion, the teen surmised.

_Yeah. Anyone would have good reason to think that the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree. Yukinoshita Haruno felt cornered and acted accordingly, preserving what she could for her and her sister's survival. Despite her upbringing from Yukinoshita Yukari, the eldest still has a heart and a much more agreeable conscience. But is she foolish enough to restore the empire? To extend a hand towards the mother she—_

Finally something else had come to mind the instant that Huntsman recalled Haruno's role in betraying her parents to him and him alone. Weeks before and on the night of the infamous party, Haruno was cooperative every step of the way. That hasn't changed since then and he even held new evidence to support this stance.

His argument for Isshiki's case had been iffy at best, having to agitate his older colleague into a compromise. That wasn't his best moment and he'd try not to do such a thing again in the future… for the most part. In this case, however, he didn't need to use suspense or dirty tactics to defend Haruno.

He couldn't argue against Bruce's or his own belief that Haruno was a gifted, demon superwoman. That side of her will never go away, always rearing its ugly head at her disposal, always perfectly disguised by her gorgeous looks and facade. She was, by far, the perfect candidate to succeed the Matriarch and turn into a dangerous villain.

It was dumb, ironic luck for Haruno that all her lines were discreetly wiretapped by Huntsman on a whim. He wouldn't succumb to any paranoia involving Haruno's possible descent into crime because of this action. Actually, he thanked the gods that the last thing he'd ever expect to come from the eldest Yukinoshita daughter was a misguided lust for revenge.

Out of anxiousness, Huntsman rapped his hands on the desk before quietly speaking up.

"...Hold on. I do know where you were getting at, but I have one more relevant bit of intel to report. A _recording _of a call made to one of Yukinoshita Haruno's private lines. One that, with this context you've given me, makes all the more sense."

_Not to mention, quite relieving._

"Oh? How so?" Bruce asked, his words like ice.

"The people on the other end were her father and mother. Yukinoshita Daishi and Yukinoshita Yukari. I have the audio file uploaded with the following transcript, please take a listen," replied Huntsman, his hands still trembling with adrenaline at the entire revelation he was about to share.

Through a screen-sharing application within the video call, Huntsman set it up so that they would listen to the file in sync. Besides a few stutters, the call still had yet to involuntarily drop due to a network failure. The teen hoped using this feature wouldn't be him pushing his luck. His older colleague had a different concern in mind, however.

"Huntsman, are you sure about this? Sharing this much with me… isn't an obligation," Bruce asked, only a click away from playing the recording.

… _Heh. I violated a woman's right to privacy and your main concern is me sharing the intel I gathered? Some very twisted priorities going on here, from us both._

Hachiman truly found it strange that Bruce asked him such a question. They had already discussed everything under the sun about the two other femme fatales in the former's roster.

_Why keep it to myself? What difference would sharing this audio file make? Especially when two of the speakers involved ran Chiba's underground with an iron fist, until recently._

He wondered if Bruce was just trying to be respectful of 'Huntsman's' autonomy over Chiba, because of the spat they had. Any consideration Bruce had for the Yukinoshitas had been thrown out the window after the heiress slapped him with bad PR. Hachiman also considered the idea that Bruce held little to no confidence in him.

It was a classic case of a teenager's paradoxical state of mind. Wallowing in an endless sea of self-doubt while also being completely _certain_ of other's low opinion of him. There was no doubt in Hachiman's mind that he must have appeared more than troubled on the Yukinoshita case. In retrospect, he really should have done more than just clip a newspaper article and gather a single audio file. Although it was a good thing he didn't miss this specific bit of evidence, he still felt like such an idiot for half-assing the case during its most crucial week.

By not performing as well, Huntsman showed weakness to the Batman. Hachiman reached that next conclusion by himself, again without any explicit confirmation from the older man. He wouldn't even try to ask for one. For whatever reason, he felt it would be much better to swallow his unease than to bring it out into the open. His anxiousness to get this moment over with won out in the end. Hachiman's dead fish eyes blinked once before he played the audio file himself and left Bruce's question unanswered.

* * *

_The following is a transcript of the mp3 audio file entitled 'HYD_Dec4'._

_Date - 4 December 2020._

_Time of call - 17:09:25 to 17:15:45._

_All callers identified: Yukinoshita Haruno, Yukinoshita Daishi, and Yukinoshita Yukari._

_Yukinoshita Haruno location: Yukinoshita Constructions Building, reason unknown. Tapped line labeled 'Heiress'. Corresponding line number - [REDACTED]. Refer to primary record._

_Yukinoshita Daishi & Yukinoshita Yukari location: Yukinoshita Manor, complying with court-ordered house arrest. Prepaid mobile phone detected._

—_Audio Start—_

00:00

…

Yukinoshita Haruno: 'Hello? I don't recognize this caller, state your business or I'll be hanging up.'

(...)

Yukinoshita Haruno: '...Yukino-chan? Only _you_ should have this number, don't tell me you're calling from a payphone—'

Yukinoshita Daishi: '—Don't be alarmed, Haru-chan. It's us, father and mother.'

Yukinoshita Haruno: 'O-Otou-san? How?!'

Yukinoshita Daishi: 'Nevermind _how_, Haru-chan. We've made more than a few attempts to reach you for some time now. I must say, I didn't expect it to be such a _difficult_ task just to speak with my own daughter.'

Yukinoshita Haruno: 'Not for a lack of _trying_, I'll give you two that much.'

Yukinoshita Daishi: 'Ah. So you _have_ been purposely avoiding our messages. I'm sorry that your mother was proven right in this regard. There's no need for such a vindictive tone, mind you. Have you no shame? After everything we've provided to you, our _first child_… I thought you'd mature with a bit more appreciation than that.'

Yukinoshita Haruno: '_Appreciation_? I see… so Okaa-san has everything already figured out again and now _you_ want—'

Yukinoshita Daishi: '—What _we'd _like is to meet with you both for a nice brunch at home. _Our _home. Or perhaps a dinner would fit better with your new schedule? Surely you can grant Yuki-chan a rest from cooking and an evening with her parents—'

Yukinoshita Haruno: '—Don't bring _her_ into this. My answer is no, Otou-san, and it'll remain that way for a long while. Feel free to chat with my legal team whenever, though! I'll be informing them of this call shortly after hanging up.'

Yukinoshita Daishi: '..._Ridiculous_. You'd cower behind a group of _suits_ from your own father? Like I'm some sort of two-bit thug instead of the man who's been watching over you your entire life? Don't you even _think_ about cutting me off when I've done nothing but love my family.'

Yukinoshita Haruno: 'Already with this sort of appeal? Don't even bother—'

Yukinoshita Daishi: '—I was there in the hospital when you breathed through your mother's body, the day when you took your first steps, the night you embraced me with such excitement over the loss of your _first tooth_—'

Yukinoshita Haruno: '—_Stop it. I'd like you to stop right there_. Don't you _dare _use what fond memories I have left against my own judgement, Otou-san. It's pointless to do so, I haven't forgotten that you were always the more manipulative one. Don't _sully_ anymore for me.'

Yukinoshita Daishi: '_Manipulation_? As if you're above such acts. That light shade of morality doesn't suit you in the least, Haru-chan. You've clearly learned more than what you'd like to admit from us both. Like _hell_ we were going to let you venture out into this depraved world without learning the fundamentals of survival. Sugarcoating everything would have _killed _you and Yuki-chan.

She was meant to shadow me next year while I continued working in the political sphere, did you know that? Now that setup for her future is gone, you _stupid girl_. Blinded by societal morality, as if there's something to gain from that. Why? Those lessons your mother taught you proved useful, haven't they?!'

Yukinoshita Haruno: 'Funny. From where I'm standing, it seems all your methods have become utterly useless in doing away with the pain and damage they brought in the first place. ...No, now I know that I've made the right choice and it's too bad that it'd probably go over your head. You can't know how this feels, Otou-san. You're too delusional to even make an attempt.'

Yukinoshita Daishi: 'I told you to mind your tongue when speaking to me and spare me any damn _emotional_ excuses.'

Yukinoshita Haruno: 'That's rich coming from a _loving father_, whining about his daughter's _lack of appreciation_. I shouldn't have to remind you who wanted this awful conversation to take place, right? Anything I have left to say sums up just about what I'm willing to spare, Otou-san, so take it or leave it.'

Yukinoshita Daishi: 'How dare you. Accusing me of being _deluded_ when your recent actions have gone against everything you've been taught. Rather than remaining loyal to your own family, you're placing your faith in the system and its law enforcement?!'

Yukinoshita Haruno: 'Family loyalty? I don't want to hear that from you, not after what you just revealed. Maybe I am stupid, for thinking that your soft spot for my little sister—your _princess_, would have kept her blissfully ignorant of it all for the rest of her life. That she would have been free while I took on that _foul_ burden that you two thought of as an empire.'

Yukinoshita Daishi: '...What an illusion. There's nothing to gain from _freedom_ and wasted potential. Based on her idolization of you, her older sister, Yuki-chan would have adapted well to—'

*_thump_*

Yukinoshita Haruno: '—_You_ were Yukino's hero,_ you stupid old man_! My sister crawled right behind me and you haven't the first clue why she decided to. Nothing I've been taught has given me the faintest clue on how to ease her pained, _fragile_ heart. It would be a lie to say that I didn't have any doubts, but now I know she should never see you two again. To think that you intended to take Yukino-chan's dream and corrupt it—corrupt _her_ into another crooked demagogue… and she would have succeeded..._ *sob* *sob*_

(...)

Yukinoshita Daishi: '_Stop that_ ...I didn't call to make you cry, Haru-chan. I-I just want you to remember what _miracles_ your mother and I have performed beyond ensuring financial security. Please come home, you can't keep Yuki-chan away from us either. I-I wish to see you both—What? There's no need… no, I don't think that's… as you wish, dear.'

Yukinoshita Haruno: '...Otou-san, I-I have to go. Please don't call—"

Yukinoshita Yukari: '_Haruno_.'

Yukinoshita Haruno: 'O-Okaa-san. I'm sorry, I—'

Yukinoshita Yukari: '—Yes, yes, you've chosen to _abandon _us entirely. What a shame.'

Yukinoshita Haruno: '...That's not fair, I have my reasons—'

Yukinoshita Yukari: 'Oh? As if I hadn't heard your _inane_ blubber for the past few minutes? Believe me, I'm fully aware of them now and will act accordingly. We'll part from here on out, as you wish, with no chance of reconciliation from _our _side as well.

However, as we separate from our roles as parents and child, it only seems appropriate that I scold you for one last time, as the _doting _mother that your father failed to remind you of. I've lost all patience with you, so I'll keep this as short as I can manage.

You haven't the faintest idea what it means to have _nothing_. You clearly don't _value _what your father and I have accomplished in the span of two decades, beyond the yen that the company brings. What we managed to cultivate in a lesser city, with no foreseeable prospects, as one as Chiba... was nothing short of a so-called _miracle_. We—I have had to topple _imbeciles_ with greater resources my _entire life_. And you? You were blessed with all that I had to offer since birth. A baby with unconditional access to everything ranging from my wealth and power to the _warmth of my teat_.

And what have you done with my blessings? Let me remind you that the position you've just garnered was _always_ meant to be yours from the beginning. Just a mere _fraction_ of the entire future we envisioned for you and Yukino. A future that you aided destroying in a single night._ Don't expect any less from us in turn, Yukinoshita Haruno._'

Yukinoshita Haruno: 'Okaa-san… No, _shove your threats up your ass. Everyone can see that the Prosecutor's Office has you cornered. You're done. Stay away from me and Yukino—'_

*click*

06:20

—_Audio End_—

* * *

**A/N:**

**Basically two guys in basements talking about fixing society. A weary world such as their own, deserves such an **_**imperfect**_** alliance.**

**Anyways, anyone here ready to see JOKER? Released today, October 4th! I solemnly swear I didn't hold this chapter off to be released today, just a (happy?) coincidence. **

**OG author 502Nickster, a good guy and who helped much again, has already seen it and believes a lot can be learned from the movie. I believe that very much and can't wait to see it myself.**

**March on the streets and take back society, fellow clowns.**


	3. Weeping Blue

_This silence is getting uncomfortable, Wayne. You're the senior here… you could say something, y'know?_

The audio clip ended abruptly, just as Hachiman had discovered it unedited. Bruce expected as much for the recorded conversation to be left off in such a manner. Emotions ran high from both ends of the Yukinoshitas involved and little to no specific details were revealed. However, that didn't mean there wasn't a lot for either of the two vigilantes to extract from this familial melodrama. Combined with Bruce's intel, there was much for Hachiman to consider on the fate of Yukinoshita Constructions and the heiress that usurped its power.

_Haruno-san didn't whore Chiba out to the underworld like her parents. People will have their eyes on her every move from now on as CEO, but this position doesn't leave her toothless. It continues to hold power. _

The CEO seat of Yukinoshita Constructions still held various contracts and partnerships that bound it to other business structures within Chiba for many years to come. It was the natural result of a corporation that actively muscled away most of its competitors over the years. The inflow of cash wouldn't stop anytime soon for those left in charge. Anybody with half a brain knew the company was there to stay for a long while, though it would have benefited from some rebranding. Yukinoshita Haruno becoming large and in charge of the company probably wouldn't help its image in the short run.

_Long-term however? A reformed, legitimate Yukinoshita Constructions will probably thrive with Haruno-san at the helm, in spite of her tarnished name. _

Hachiman was interested to see if anybody outside of the family was foolish enough to try to dethrone this newly-crowned demon woman. It was impossible to see anyone else as a possible successor, after what she just pulled off. Thankfully, Haruno appeared vehemently against the idea of aiding her parents using this position.

_For now, at least. I don't know anything about Haruno-san and her convictions. What I do know is that they'll always be twisted to serve her needs. _

Hachiman wondered if Haruno began scheming this corporate takeover since the night he personally interrogated her as Huntsman almost a month back. Even then, the eldest daughter may have felt her parents were finally screwed and, at her own risk, acted under the shadows. In a way, she also evaded alerting Huntsman of her ongoing backroom dealings and movements. All while he was still on top of this case at the time—he would surely beat himself over the head about it later, when he had the energy.

_Tricky and a snake when she needs to be. How an 'Onee-san' with such awful traits is more of an ally than an enemy is beyond me. _

Strangely enough, Hachiman felt compelled to take this new development as a victory.

*clunk*

For the hundredth time this week, he heard some random box tip over behind him. The familiar electrical hums reverberated louder than usual. However, neither irritated him in the slightest for once. With Haruno's admittedly sketchy innocence proven, Hachiman had relaxed just enough to look back expectantly at an intrigued Bruce. He listened closely to what the older man had to say about all of this.

"Perhaps I misspoke too soon. Her parents are a glaring weakness, yes, but there's no evidence that points to her becoming a puppet or a family avenger for you to deal with," said Bruce.

_Yeah, again, everything points against Haruno-san possibly aiding mommy and daddy _

There wasn't an immediate vocal response from the boy. Not much else but a nod after Bruce pointedly stared at him for a few seconds. He rapped his fingers on the desk before speaking up again.

"...Listen. I've already decided not to pursue this matter and have even less of a reason to do so after hearing this conversation. However, this is only one bit of intel that conveniently came along—I _personally_ wouldn't be satisfied with just that."

"Well, neither would I under regular circumstances, but…" Hachiman trailed off.

"...But you have better _insight _of the people involved than I do, despite your limited mutual relationship. And that is enough for you to make a choice that would work best for now," said Bruce in an attempt to finish off what he assumed were the boy's thoughts into words.

Hachiman shook his head in denial. "I wouldn't even say that much, to be honest."

Bruce tapped his desk twice, his eyes squinted in mild annoyance. "Work with me here, Hikigaya. I said I won't pursue this anymore since it _appears_ there's no reason for me to do so.

But I want you to tell me, here and now, if you truly believe Yukinoshita Haruno can be entrusted with the reign of this company. I may have been _slighted_ now, but say the word and I'll consider taking a few steps to blockade whatever limited ventures and opportunities are still available to her."

…_Okay. For someone who told me not to make things personal, you seem a bit too determined to put some dirt in her eye. Hmph, and to think Yukinoshita Haruno's fate would be in my hands. Again._

Hachiman had to resist rolling his eyes at the entire situation. He only just mentioned about how troubling it was that nothing escaped Batman's reach, including Chiba. Now he's only just became aware that Yukinoshita Haruno pulled off a dangerous corporate move, with him none the wiser.

Thinking it through, it was actually embarrassing for the young vigilante to express fear of external influence, when he couldn't even anticipate the actions of his own people. Here came an opportunity, from an outsider nonetheless, to launch a preemptive strike on the perfect heiress.

_It wouldn't be unreasonable if I refused Wayne's offer after presenting evidence that Haruno-san was practically disowned. But... he's right to point out that this was just one instance of good behavior. Who's to say she doesn't have a worse agenda of her own? Besides that, when have I ever placed something as trite as faith onto another person?_

_The best course of action might be to cut her and her family off entirely from their own company. I have no need for someone like Yukinoshita Haruno to be in the same seat that was used to corrupt Chiba for decades. A less capable person would be preferable… there would be no regrets on my part. Since that's the case—_

The choice seemed obvious after just a few moments of deliberation. Huntsman straightened his posture and tucked his chin in, ready to give Bruce Wayne the go-ahead. He blinked once just before taking a cautious look at the billionaire on his monitor. The last thing Huntsman expected was to gasp at the sight before him.

A pair of withered blue orbs connected with Hachiman's gray eyes, just from a mere glance at the monitor. His heart sank as he recognized whom they belonged to—certainly not the Wayne heir. An uncomfortable feeling of nakedness ran through Hachiman's core, the small hairs on his neck bristled with unease. He powered through and made a double take, wanting to make sure this _girl_ wasn't actually thousands of kilometers away, piercing his soul and cleaving through his entire being.

_You can't be there. It's impossible._

Upon looking again, the illusion had vanished, but the same couldn't be said for the torrential guilt that washed over him. That which eliminated his ability to carry on with an indifferent, hardened exterior.

If someone were to say that Hachiman's choice to accept Bruce Wayne's offer was partly a _desperate_ attempt to reaffirm his logic-based mentality, they wouldn't be wrong. Even in such a short time period, with its inception being just a week ago, this alternative development within Hachiman was inevitable. He admittedly felt disappointed in himself to have let everything get this far—to increasingly forgo his mental armor in favor of a raw emotional state.

It all happened too quickly and no amount of his unique self-awareness was enough to stop it.

_This feeling can't be refused any longer, I have to operate in a way that will be efficient and finally appease my stupidity and hope it ends there. How much more can I do before stepping over the line? No, it's wrong of me to think I haven't already. _

With Hachiman finally accepting his mental state for what it's become, his stance on the matter made a complete 180. Hikigaya Hachiman truly couldn't allow his colleague to dethrone Yukinoshita Haruno. The Huntsman had already neutered the position and carved the Yukinoshita family in half. There was no empathy on his part, because he had never experienced anything similar to what that family was going through. No, what he felt for the family was far much worse than that.

As such, once again, Hachiman could only offer what was promised to the women he wounded with his actions. He would continue believing the heiress wanted to avoid falling down into the same abyss as her mother. That all Yukinoshita Haruno desired now was to ensure her survival and the same for that one girl—whom she's loved all this time. With that, the ball was in his court to back off from preventing just that.

_To assume a Yukinoshita's intentions is idiotic. Nonetheless, I am indebted to Haruno-san's previous intel and recent compliance. From me she'll receive… the benefit of the doubt._

But Hachiman knew this gamble was also partially selfish on his part. He swayed himself to this choice, just to ease his own discomfort at having ripped apart his clubmate's blissful ignorance—her image reduced to a doe-eyed, fragile being.

Not that he harbored any special feelings for her, rather it was because of how harshly he handled exposing her parents to her face. As the older sibling, the right of that particular reveal _implicitly_ belonged to Haruno-san—and he snatched it away without a second thought. Her innocence quickly shredded due to a lack of time.

_Was it really a lack of time or just sheer impatience on my part? I mean, she got in the way between me and my targets. But that's to be expected, they're her goddamn parents.._.

This was more than enough for him to reconsider a second instance of regime change in Yukinoshita Constructions and he _hated _himself for it.

Hachiman looked up again directly at his colleague through the monitor. Bruce's striking blue eyes had once again reminded him of the withered girl his age. However, Bruce continuing to stare allowed the boy to get it through his head that this specific pair of blue eyes belonged to him and him alone.

Bruce's usual heavy scowl also made it much easier to see the difference.

"Problem?" Bruce asked.

"No. Nothing, just a trick of the light," Hachiman assured, to himself really.

"If you say so," Bruce said, scratching his cheek. "Listen, if you find this too much to consider right now, you're free to take some time to make a choice. Just know that the longer you hold off, the harder it will be for me to take any action."

Hachiman sank further in his seat, slightly shaking his head. "...No. There's no need, you can have my answer right now. I believe Yukinoshita Constructions should remain in the hands of Haruno-san, for the time being. Her current intentions have been laid bare and I don't intend to go back on my word, so long as I see that she does the same."

Bruce's tilted his head as he scoffed. "So, you'll take full responsibility, overseeing her activities for any discrepancies then? Especially ones involving the civilian reputation I have to uphold?"

Resisting a flinch, Hachiman nodded. "_Yes_, _I_—"

"Should I put this in writing and have you sign it?" Bruce interrupted.

"Look, I get it. She's _done_ the second I get a whiff of a brokered deal between her and the likes of Black Mask, Tobias Whale, or any other cretin. Just keep any of _them_ away before you move in on Chiba's people," Huntsman replied.

"Hmph, your cheekiness isn't appreciated. Very well though, it seems we're finally on the same page," Bruce noted.

Huntsman nodded. "Yeah. Right now it's only a matter of seeing Yukinoshita Yukari get convicted. Maybe there's still something on her high-priced lawyers, the presiding judge, and any other interference that would prevent the Prosecutor's Office from doing its job."

"You're steering in the right direction, but take it from me, nothing is ever that easy. Think about keeping _regular_ tabs on Yukinoshita Haruno and other company officials from now on. On that same note—Yukinoshita Yukino, the second daughter and also a Sobu High School student, is she a friend of yours? Girlfriend?" Bruce asked him sincerely.

Hachiman gave Bruce and his sincerity a dry look, the answer itself being quite straightforward. He had to refrain himself from chuckling at the thought.

"_No_, not even close. She's in my year at school and we're just… clubmates," Hachiman replied, looking annoyed at _another_ stack of boxes that just tipped over.

"If you say so. Maintain that neutral connection in any case. It'll be good for you to keep Yukinoshita Haruno somewhat nearby, as a civilian," said Bruce.

Hachiman raised a brow at that. "Keep tabs on Haruno-san, through her younger sister? Is that really necessary?"

Bruce eyed him carefully. "Of course, it's only a suggestion. Though it's something that anyone in our line of work would have done without pause."

The boy shook his head in disagreement. "I don't think—"

"_I _think it's smart to keep your avenues open and engaged for the purpose of gathering valuable intel and ensuring safety. It's your choice in the end but, friends or not, you understand what's at stake, correct?" Bruce asked, pointing over to their shared screen at the audio file. "That last bit from Yukinoshita Yukari isn't something you're free to brush off."

_'Don't expect any less from us, Yukinoshita Haruno.'_

Huntsman clenched his jaw, glaring at the ending line of the transcript he produced. "Yeah, of course I do. Yukinoshita Yukari essentially just declared _war_ on her own daughter. It's possible, very likely, she has an ace up her sleeve ready to achieve this goal."

Bruce nodded at the frustrated teen in a moment of understanding. Huntsman jolted up in his seat at another realization.

"_I_ was the catalyst to Haruno-san's decision to covertly plot a coup in her own mother's company. I guaranteed her and her sister's safety in exchange for cooperation and intel at the time. The… aftershock of this development was restrained to the company and the family itself, as a result."

Bruce raised a brow at this assessment. "You've completely forgotten to include _my_ recent negative press coverage as a consequence, but do carry on."

…_So petty. Haruno-san really pissed him off, eh?_

"You're right, my bad. The point I was trying to make still stands, though. My interrogation of Haruno-san was one thing, an outright _threat_ from her own mother is another," Hachiman explained.

"Definitely something she shouldn't take lightly. You're worried about escalation?" Bruce asked.

Hachiman offered him a pointed look, as though it was an obvious point to be made. "I mean… Haruno-san went behind her mother's back on the belief that her downfall was inevitable, due to my intervention. She may remain staunchly opposed to her parents, this audio file supports that. But I have no way of knowing when this _new_ line of attrition will begin, nor when it will end… all I know is that will happen in Chiba."

Silence reigned again, minus the electrical hums continuously reverberating in the Hunter's Den. Bruce noted Hachiman's anxious state. The boy held it in with deep, controlled breaths, cracking his stiff neck in all directions, as if to psych himself back into calmness. His eyes blinked a couple of times to a practiced look of indifference.

This was a state that all people in their field experienced more than once, more so if the person was risk-averse and despised taking chances. Idealogues who took all possibilities into account for the greater good, even at the expense of their own optimism and wellbeing. Assuming the worst and formulating contingencies were Bruce Wayne's bread and butter. A troubled youth like Hikigaya Hachiman hasn't even had a year on the job as the Huntsman, but he would get there soon enough. Bruce knew he would, with the proper guidance.

_I won't sugarcoat anything for you, boy._

For the time being, Bruce would continue indulging this line of thinking within the younger man. It would have been hypocritical of him to discourage a fellow pessimist's outlook on life. Bruce wouldn't even know where to start if he wanted to encourage positivity. Huntsman would have no choice but to seek such "help" from somewhere else if he ever desired to look at the glass half full. The Batman was neither a boy scout, nor comic relief. No, the brooding, overlord billionaire was more than alright with Huntsman's similar progress to his own. It was all Batman knew and all that ever worked for him since the beginning.

"Yes," he began again, gaining Huntsman's full attention. "There's no simple way around this. You have to consider possibly being on the verge of a crime-family _civil war_. Beyond that, what it means for Chiba and its citizens."

Huntsman nodded once and opened his mouth before closing it quickly, as if deciding to think his words through before speaking them. As the younger vigilante contemplated this bomb drop on his own, Bruce heard a familiar set of footsteps click against the concrete floor behind him. No doubt Alfred had finished his maintenance work and was ready to lecture him again to let the boy get some needed rest. That was fair. There was much more to say, but it would have to wait later in the week when the planned infiltration would commence. It was time to cut this short and leave his younger colleague with a few last words of caution.

"A part of being ready means to not stall on the intelligence gathering of a mission. Not for a day, much less a week," Bruce started.

Huntsman readily agreed with a shrug. "Again, no doubt."

"Let's see if your actions follow through with your words. Until then, I'm going to assume that this situation is troubling. Something about it other than the bargain you made with Yukinoshita Haruno. held you back from fully investigating it in the same manner as the others." Bruce asserted.

Huntsman donned a poker face, as though it would help him conceal what was already obvious to the Batman.

Bruce sighed at the guarded look, but stopped himself from starting another argument. "Have it your way, it's not really my business to know anymore than what you decide to reveal. This arrangement isn't something that was decided without your autonomy in mind, after all."

"That's a little difficult to believe whenever your adversaries get involved. At least now I can expect to always compromise, any autonomy of ours be damned," said Huntsman.

"Again, your cheekiness isn't appreciated. You won't convince me otherwise," Bruce stated, giving him a sigh.

"No, that wasn't my intention. My point was to say that I understand compromises are a necessary step we'll have to take, especially on my part. I may have started on my own, but you've provided me with significant upgrades to my arsenal. Keeping my identity a secret as well," Huntsman noted, graciously nodding his head.

Bruce appeared a little flabbergasted, muttering, "Again with this, I can't believe I'm following this line of thought…"

"It is what it is. It's only natural that I produce results and kickback any intelligence you may find useful. Nothing is ever "free" in life, after all. My independence was the price I paid the _second_ I put that on," Huntsman finished, pointing over to his recharging cowl.

"Does it always have to come back to this sense of obligation?" Bruce asked irritatingly.

Huntsman shrugged. "It's been ingrained in me since birth. You've done business here in Japan, right? You should know how charity's taken for in the East in general. No one here wants to feel like a shameless leech, like those _house-husbands_ we hear about in the West. Eh, no offense..." Huntsman scratched his neck, looking towards Alfred.

_Wait. Oh shit—no!_

The old man reeled back in shock, his eyes bulging with intense fury. "_Excuse me_? I've always been the _butler_, thank you very much! Master Bruce, perhaps you two should finish off this discussion before Hikigaya-san's exhausted state causes him to say something_ rude_ again?" Alfred asked, dauntingly, squinting at a smirking Bruce.

"I'm s-sorry," Hachiman weakly stuttered, filled with regret.

Alfred crossed his arms, thoroughly unimpressed with the teen backtracking the insult. "Perhaps next time you're in a mechanical pickle, you can consult the _youtubes_ instead of the 'shameless leech' that I am—"

"Alfred, please. I'm sure you're more than right about Hikigaya here being exhausted. You know he didn't mean it," Bruce interrupted, earning a curt nod from the fussy butler. "Let's wrap this up, _Huntsman_."

Suppressing a yawn, the younger hero quickly nodded in abject agreement. "...Well, I'm more than done on my end and I know what to do. Gotta get a sample of Nekonee's blood, wait some time before infiltrating the 'Chimera Chems' warehouse, and keep tabs on the Yukinoshitas."

"..."

"And keep Captain Etsudo up to date? For any useful tips and index-related stuff..." Huntsman trailed off.

Bruce exhaled, a bit annoyed that their long, heated discussion had been simplified to mere objectives. He figured it was a generational, perhaps video game-related, thing. "Right. Again, overcome whatever hesitation and fear you have when it comes to that family. Poker face or not, your earlier shame was apparent when all you had prepared was... a newspaper clipping and one audio file."

"Yeah, okay, but I—"

Bruce interrupted Huntsman. "Words are one thing, Huntsman. Your actions haven't reflected them on this case for an entire week, so don't hold it against me if I sound skeptical. This is your problem and there are many factors to consider, but the premise isn't unique and the cost of inaction could be too much to bear. Crime _will_ feast off your cowardice."

"...Fair enough." Huntsman conceded. "I know that you speak from greater experience but please note that words are all that I can offer, for now. Hear me out when I say I won't let something like Yukinoshita Haruno claiming her mother's position go unnoticed again. Nothing about this is… personal. Whatever comes next from this supposed war? Sure I'm uneasy, but I'm _not_ afraid."

Huntsman had spoken this promise with much fervor, but it was all for naught as Bruce, in a rare moment, chuckled at him. "You _will_ feel terrified. That and much more, I guarantee it. Perish the thought that you're above it all, right this instant."

With just that, he was shut down; what else could Huntsman say to Bruce that he hadn't already? Were his sense of dignity any lower, the boy would have actually joined the older man in laughing at his meager promises.

_Ugh, I must have sounded as green as grass… if that makes any sense._

Seeing that neither of them moved to close out the call, Bruce took this opportunity to pass on something else to consider. "There are consequences to taking down a crime regime, many that you're not yet aware of. Consider for a moment that it wasn't you, I, or even the League of Shadows that dragged the Yukinoshitas close to rock bottom."

Huntsman wondered what he meant by that. "...But then who or what else could it have been that—"

"Their _hubris_. Years of unmitigated arrogance. Though they've been humbled, such scum will only learn to adapt rather than rehabilitate. See to it that their efforts are stopped. Most importantly… be sure that _you_ don't cross the rubicon yourself in the process." Bruce finished darkly.

Huntsman finally took the hint and stopped himself from giving another naive response. In turn, he digested the words of advice that Bruce had spoken. Once again, Batman's suggestions came from a place of experience. Whatever other promises the boy could offer in response weren't backed by a matching level of confidence. Any gusto Huntsman had for the other two cases on his agenda couldn't be applied to this one.

The young vigilante swallowed his pride and gave his sponsor a nod before turning away. His attention turned to the walls lined with the tools of his trade. A faint, blinking green LED in the corner indicated that his mask and cowl had finished recharging its internal systems, ready to last for another few days. It was a shame that the sight of it all had filled him with pride just an hour earlier—now he felt a bit crestfallen. A bout of regret sat in his stomach as he couldn't even muster up the courage to refute any point that Bruce had made.

_If there's one thing I'm certain of, it's that I don't think I'll be 'crossing the rubicon' anytime soon, or ever. Kind of hard for someone like me to be arrogant when I've been consistently carried by WayneTech._

_Hold on, maybe that was his point all along. It was easy for me to disregard fear with the tools of a billionaire at my side. That's undeniably arrogant of me. No wonder he… laughed at my words._

Huntsman just sat there in his chair, unconsciously stretching his dangling legs for the second time that morning. Lost in thought, he could hardly recall Bruce's words of goodbye and being reminded of the supply drop he would receive later that week. He offered a couple more nods and the usual words of confirmation.

The meeting appeared to be over. Hachiman moved to close out the call completely once he finally realized the man on the other line had walked away to another part of the BatCave. He was a click away before being stopped by Alfred Pennyworth, who had stepped into frame and waved him down.

The loner complied, bowing his head. "Alfred. Um, listen, I really am sorry for what I said earlier."

The old man shook his head. "Don't worry yourself about that, Hikigaya-san. I am, as they say, completely over it. I understand you're terribly exhausted, which has me feeling awful for keeping you here for a bit longer. All just for you to hear what this old man has to say."

"That's a relief, I wouldn't be able to handle everything behind me without your help. I'm okay though, so… what is it?" Hachiman asked.

Alfred sat down on the empty desk chair before responding, his posture upright and his demeanor as cordial as ever. "Ah well, in regards to the Yukinoshita case—_you_ tell me, Hikigaya-san."

"I'm not sure I follow…" Hachiman trailed off.

"Master Bruce lightly touched upon this, but he swerved to another topic rather than fully exploring what was at hand. Frankly, I'm not always certain whether he does this to... reaffirm boundaries or if sensitive subjects are just not his strongest suit," Alfred looked away with a wistful expression on his face. One especially reserved for the less than ideal quirks that Bruce Wayne possessed.

"Well, that's all on the assumption that this case is a sensitive subject to me at all and I can assure you, it's not," Hachiman tried, in vain, to convince the old man. The last thing he wanted to do was add himself to the list of people that Alfred Pennyworth should worry over. Keeping an eye out for the Wayne heir appeared troubling enough.

Cocking an eyebrow, Alfred persevered. "Hikigaya-san, please."

"Alfred, I really have no clue what else to say other than that," Hachiman replied.

The teen donned his signature look of indifference once again—a key weapon of his in avoiding conversations he preferred not to have. It also helped that he was genuinely exhausted and wanted nothing more than to sneak back into the confines of his bed. He knew Alfred could see this as well.

_I should have been back home half an hour ago. Kaa-san and Oyaji usually sleep in, but I don't want to push my luck._

His parents were none the wiser about his activities this entire week, believing in his illness. Despite fooling _them_, the truant teen still managed to get verbally cornered quite easily by someone else thousands of kilometers away. If Alfred wasn't even _half_ as endearing as he was, Hachiman would have abruptly ended the call during this pause in their conversation and left the Hunter's Den. No hesitation on his part.

But Alfred Pennyworth didn't deserve such treatment. He was, more or less, a key part to the setup of the compound and looked out for Hachiman's well being with every call. Those were a couple of the reasons why Hachiman chose to wait patiently as Alfred gathered his thoughts, instead of further disrespecting him. It was only right to do so, he figured. And so, the boy braced himself as the butler finally started speaking again.

"When you first came to me about this case, before that dreadful night of the Bishamonten Incident, you left off saying this was a case that 'no one else could handle'," Alfred reminded him.

"...Right, I did," Hachiman confirmed, a bit embarrassed.

_So much for that claim. I was proven severely wrong._

"I also recall you saying 'they would all be in danger' in regards to specific attendees going to the Yukinoshita party that night, one of them being your teacher," Alfred said with a pointed look.

_Uhh._

The boys cheeks flushed red out of embarrassment as he tried to give out an explanation. "Yeah, I had to get my, I mean, Hiratsuka-sensei out of there. I... I couldn't let her get hurt—"

Alfred managed to stop the boy with a raised hand. "I'm not accusing you or your teacher of anything, Hikigaya-san. I imagine she's a good person who's looked after you for quite a while."

Hachiman was unable to keep his face from cooling down as he tried to respond to that claim. "Yeah, Hiratsuka-sensei has always been really _persistent_. I just wanted to… repay her for her troubles."

Alfred chuckled at the flustered boy's inability to be honest with himself. "That's fine. More than fine. It's perfectly normal, actually relieving, for you to have a person to worry about. A good bond like that is invaluable."

_So I keep getting told but, really, this kind of talk makes me want to die._

He gave the butler a slight nod. "Thanks for understanding. But why bring it up?"

"I'm still wondering who _else_ your worry extended to for that night. You specifically said '_they_', after all," Alfred replied.

Hachiman blinked in surprise. "No, that's… I meant Hiratsuka-sensei along with all the other attendees in general."

"Please, Hikigaya-san. You and I both know the other attendees were lesser cohorts of Yukinoshita Yukari, Daishi, and Hayama Hanzo," Alfred pointed out. "The only innocent exceptions were your homeroom teacher... and the Yukinoshita daughters."

"..."

"You rebuffed me at the time when I asked if you cared for those two as well, if you could endure the consequences," Alfred continued.

"...What's the point of remembering such a thing?" Hachiman finally asked, earning an exasperated look from the old butler.

"Why, because your response at the time amounted to shouldering the burden alone and that mentality appears to be intact. It was worrying then as it is now, _especially_ given how you've more than mishandled the Yukinoshita case this week, " Alfred croaked out. Worry clear cut in his voice.

_I really don't like being reminded of that._

"I know words aren't much, but I've promised to not go down that route again, Alfred. This was just a fluke," said Hachiman.

"I understand you'll strive to do better from now on, but whatever emotional blockage that led to this situation in the first place, hasn't been fully addressed," Alfred persisted. The boy proved himself to be stubborn as a mule.

"Alfred, really, this is all just… conjecture," Hachiman continued to deny, getting more irritated by the second.

Alfred sighed, keeping direct eye contact with the boy. "_No_, Hikigaya-san. This is a reality that men in your field consistently refuse to confront. You may not know Yukinoshita Haruno beyond her shrewd capabilities and you may not be anything more than clubmates with Yukinoshita Yukino—"

"Which only proves how impersonal this case really is. Neither of them are friends. Any chance of things ever being different are slim to none," Hachiman hurriedly interjected.

"But the act of dismantling their family must have felt awfully terrible, nevermind witnessing the results firsthand! It's an absolute dreadful situation on all fronts. Enough for one to, say, _skip out_ on their studies for the majority of the week?" Alfred finished, having placed much emphasis on his last point.

It was super effective. Hachiman was taken aback at being caught by Alfred for playing sick away from Sobu. What's even worse was that, even if he didn't want to admit it, the butler was spot on about _why_ he took the week off from school. Alfred was definitely taking this a step further than Bruce had altogether and Hachiman had no idea how to respond.

"I-My apologies for lying—"

But the old butler interrupted Hachiman's lame stutter with a wave of his hand. "It's fine, Hikigaya-san. It's fine. I just want to know what happened and if there's anything on your mind, we can talkabout it, _together_."

The olive branch that Hachiman dreaded had finally been extended towards him. He hung his head in shame, overwhelmed by the warmth and sincerity in Alfred's eyes. "...Alfred, I—"

He glanced down to a folder that had dropped down onto the floor, one labeled with a single word. The usual suspects. The subject at hand.

_Yukinoshita_.

It was last Monday afternoon. Hachiman appeared outside of an unused classroom of the special building at Sobu High, as he's done for months now. Once again, he was late for the start of club activities, due to a small talk he had with Hiratsuka-sensei on the matter of his nightly patrols. Hachiman thought for sure that that talk with his teacher would be the most difficult confrontation he'd have at school that day. Problems arising within the Service Club didn't occur to him until it was too late. Unfortunately, his curiosity got the better of him and he cautiously opened the door.

_Like a fool._

The vision was still clear as day in Hachiman's mind. He saw a beautiful pale girl with unbrushed, twisted ebony hair. Her cerulean eyes glistened as she wept, enveloped in the arms of her only friend in the world. A pretty peach-haired girl, perhaps the nicest girl in all of Sobu, offered her soothing words and a gentle touch like no other. Her kind face was unparalleled, maternal even.

There was a gorgeous Onee-san in the same room as well, the very same one that Hachiman and Bruce had spent time discussing about earlier. In contrast with the friend, the elder sister awkwardly held tight onto her younger sibling's shoulder. She was clearly inexperienced being in this sort of position, not knowing how to provide a level of genuine warmth. But what mattered most is that the Onee-san, Haruno-san, tried her best despite the waterworks that were forming within _her_ own eyes.

_I knew I had to leave._

A perfect picture of comfort and support, the kind you'd see in one of those pamphlets at the psychiatrist's office. Nevermind if Hachiman thought her parents got what they deserved. Even he wouldn't dare ruin this atmosphere with his mere presence. Hence, he moved to close the door and walk away before any of them would notice. The effort was in vain, as Yukinoshita Haruno had looked up and caught a glimpse of the boy just before he left.

_I knew enough to not ruin the moment and so did Haruno-san._

Haruno had recognized Hachiman for sure, but she did nothing to stop his getaway. Contrary to her ordinary behavior, she dismissed the sight of him with a look of indifference. She made no attempt to cover herself up with a mask and drag Hachiman into another uncomfortable situation.

The loner had always meant nothing to Haruno. Nothing more than an 'interesting' toy that hung around her little sister. The time for play was over for the elder Yukinoshita sister and whatever amusement she wanted of him had become irrelevant. So it was more than easy for this woman to keep directing her attention towards Yukino, the girl who needed it most. The girl who was hurting the most.

"Hikigaya-san?" Alfred called the silent teen, to no avail.

It was far too late to recall the teenager from this line of thought. It couldn't be helped because of the role he played in the pursuit of justice. He was easily looked over by Haruno, not because she had beef with him, but because no one else besides Shizuka knows of his identity as the Huntsman. In fact, he was _expected_ to be in the Service Club meeting that Monday afternoon. His appearance should have been nothing out of the ordinary. He could have attended the meeting, even as emotionally charged as it was, keeping himself and his mouth shut and no one would have batted an eye.

Instead he left and came down with a "fever" for the rest of the week.

_If they knew anything about who I am and what I've done... I would've been told to piss off. There's no doubt about that._

Unless either he or Shizuka spoke up, Hachiman knew his civilian identity would never receive scathing words or looks of contempt on this matter. There would be no catharsis to the pain he brought to the Yukinoshita daughters. For one of the few times in his life, Hachiman got away scot-free with actions that would have guaranteed further ostracization.

_Was that also why I faked an illness? I craved punishment, even from the jaws of victory?_

Hachiman wondered now if this was actually a self-imposed exile—if so, it did _nothing_ for his conscience in the slightest. He has yet to get over the mayhem he's brought to the Yukinoshita family and Chiba in general. Pouring himself into building the Hunter's Den, alongside his nightly patrols, was an attempt to clear the air. But even so, a heavy mass was entrenched within his gut and an aura of slime encompassed his entire being.

Nevertheless, he was required to go back to school the next day.

"Hikigaya-san?"

_I've never had this problem before, none of this should matter. The end always justified the means. I'm receiving praise from the public, but is it truly due? Chiba's overrun by previously paid thugs and there's a disillusionment of the local government. _

_And someone I've become acquainted with is suffering which led me to the stupid decision to stay home, because I couldn't handle it? What's more, I've still somehow made this entire ordeal about myself with all this self-pity. Stupid. Disgusting—_

"_Hikigaya_ _Hachiman_," Alfred had called out for a third time, his voice raised up just shy of yelling.

Hachiman finally looked back at the old man with heavy-lidded eyes and small beads of sweat running down his face. He moved to wipe it off, brushing it all into his hair and turning it into a glossy, disheveled mess. The young man was certain he looked pathetic.

Hence, Alfred's desire to pry further into Hachiman's feelings was lost after sending him into such a pitiful state. For a second time, the issue would be let go since it appeared the boy wouldn't divulge anything unless further provoked. Rather than overstep these boundaries any further, Alfred stayed silent as Hachiman took a few breaths before speaking again.

"...I'm sorry, Alfred. I'm exhausted and need to get home. I'll catch you later," Hachiman croaked out, not even attempting to put on another look of indifference this time around. The stress and implications brought by the memory alone was apparent. Not even exhaustion was enough to excuse this episode.

Nonetheless, Alfred stuck to his gut and relieved the poor boy with a soft nod. "Very well, my apologies for keeping you at bay. Please go on and get some well-deserved rest, Hikigaya-san."

"Goodnight," Hachiman replied. He gave his elder a small bow before ending the call. Once the secure connection had been severed, he closed every open file and powered down the Batcomputer.

Every bit of physical evidence had been locked away again. Hachiman stripped down to his underwear and walked barefoot on the cold, tiled floor to store away his armor. With everything secured, the boy grabbed his bag and changed into old gray sweats, sneakers, and winter gloves. His favorite navy blue jacket came last from a coat hanger near the entrance.

Once Hachiman was ready, he placed his hand once more on the biometric lock and powered down all the unnecessary stations, locking everything in place as he walked out. The entrance to the inner compound was blocked by two doors, both heavily comprised of steel, with the outermost door serving as a false wall. Locking them both required two different voice-activated passwords.

"The rising sun. Illuminate Chiba."

"_Voice identification accepted. Administrator surfacing. Warning: full security measures are not integrated. All available measures, activated."_

"Well, they'll have to do, for now," Hachiman whispered, placing a nearby wooden pallet over the false wall.

Still underground and surrounded by darkness, Hachiman carefully walked down a long hallway with his backpack in one hand and a small flashlight in the other. He reached a long, steel ladder mounted against the wall. Not feeling in the mood to climb up, the boy took out the grappling gun from his backpack and aimed it carefully at the top step of the ladder before pulling the trigger.

Soon enough, the boy was pulled up at a speed he was comfortable with until he clung onto the top of the ladder. He put away the gun in his open bag and, with all the strength he could muster, lifted the hefty manhole cover that served as the third "door" of the Hunter's Den.

The surface greeted Hachiman with a cloudy red sky paired with a cold winter breeze. He shivered slightly, but endured it as he minded his surroundings. He only climbed out and repositioned the mossy, inconspicuous looking cover once he knew the coast was clear. Not that anyone, besides the occasional homeless person, would have a reason to be around the abandoned sewers by the canal. He just figured it was always better to be safe than sorry. With this done, he stretched his limbs, cracked his neck, and made his way out of the area.

Within the hour, Hachiman made it home quite safe and sound, having avoided any crowds and all CCTV cameras. Thanks to previous scouting, the chances of him being spotted by anyone were nil. Of course, that didn't keep him from looking over his shoulder every now and then. He did that a bit more often this morning, strangely enough.

As always, Hachiman had carefully unlocked the front door, content at seeing no one except a curious Kamakura catching him sneaking back in. Surprisingly, the cat greeted Hachiman warmly with soft purrs, kneading his thigh as he took off his shoes. He pet the cat in turn, figuring it was feeling lonely on this gloomy Sunday morning. Hachiman's parent's work schedule had been affected by the mandated curfew, but that wouldn't stop them from sleeping in whenever possible. Same went for his sister Komachi, he assumed.

Hachiman gently trotted his way up the stairs, his fatigue and earlier stress finally weighing down on his shoulders and stiffening his legs. He worked up a cold sweat and eyed the shower in the bathroom, before stumbling after a misstep. He caught himself on the wall, taking deep breaths in an effort to refocus himself towards his bedroom. The idea of showering was thrown out the window.

"Damn you… just make it there already," Hachiman croaked to himself, searching his pockets to have his key ready.

A few moments later, the exhausted boy limped alongside the wall, still making sure to keep as quiet as possible. Upon reaching his bedroom door, he slid in the key to unlock it and relaxed once he stepped in and closed it once more. Another night of success under his belt. He threw his bag to the side and slid under the fresh covers of his bed. Within minutes, Hachiman had passed out into what would be another deep Sunday slumber. He would get all the rest he could, knowing the next night would probably be just as difficult.

For all of his efforts and preparations made to sneak his way back home, unnoticed and all, Hikigaya Hachiman would never know that his little sister had been hiding in the bathroom all along.

Komachi never thought she'd ever actively hide herself from her brother. But with the rift that still existed between them, the girl saw no other way to confirm her suspicions. Now she knew for sure that he faked his illness and took to sneaking out at night, for reasons still unknown to her.

_Stupid Onii-ch… Nii-san. _

What was most surprising was the way her heart had tightened because of her supposed 'trash brother'. Once when he had entered the house, proving her right, and the next when he painfully struggled to reach his bedroom. Komachi was always emotionally precocious. Unlike Hachiman, she knew exactly what she was feeling at any point in time. But like her brother, like any Hikigaya, she would occasionally struggle and bottle everything in for an indeterminate period of time. Especially during times when she felt she was due an apology and not the other way around.

In short, they weren't on the best of terms and Komachi truly didn't want to worsen things on her part. She wasn't about to rat him out and give him ammo for their feud. For now, Hachiman would get a pass mostly based on that alone. However, Komachi decided not to hesitate going to her parents the next time he unnecessarily triggered her worry.

Exiting the bathroom, Komachi spotted 'Ka-kun' nonchalantly striding towards her brother's room, pawing and meowing at the closed door once he reached it. She sighed at the cat's antics and made her way over to pick him up, and then went into her own room. Regardless of whatever trouble her brother was up to, she knew he needed a lot of rest. The pain he exerted spoke much to that opinion.

As expected, Kamakura's soft fur brought Komachi the comfort she sought as she gently rubbed his ears. The feline reciprocated this affection with its tiny mewlings, pawing freely in the air. This continued for the better part of an hour until they too joined the other Hikigayas in blissful dreamland.

* * *

"You shouldn't have asked him those questions, Alfred."

_Ever the eavesdropper, you are, Master Bruce._

"No, it was definitely not the time. Though it's never too early to nip certain things in the bud. I just couldn't help myself, Master Bruce," Alfred lamented.

Bruce gave him an understanding nod. "Well, it was troubling to see how much of an effect this past month had on him. Strange, considering the lack of a personal connection with those involved."

Alfred scoffed as he sifted through the case files that Huntsman had shared with them. "I believe it's called _sympathy_, sir. What I'm worried about is if there's any underlying empathy that has him miffed."

The Wayne heir shook his head in disagreement at that. "Whether it's sympathy or empathy, it matters little. Results are what keeps us going, especially to a boy his age," Bruce explained.

"It troubles me deeply whenever you generalize every boy to such simple standards, Master Bruce," replied Alfred, clutching his head in resignation. "Have you nothing more to offer than the usual sentiments?"

Bruce rolled his eyes at that, putting down his utility belt on the workbench. He approached a locker nearby, containing a pair of jogging sweats, a pair of sneakers, and an old hoodie for him to change into. Glancing back, Bruce was semi-surprised to see the old man giving him a dry look, as if he was actually expecting the Wayne heir to give a serious answer.

Bruce sighed, beginning to change while he spoke. "...If you really want my insight, fine. I threw him a bone, a means of protection, with that suit and cowl. When we both fought _Talia_ and her guard, I witnessed his conviction firsthand. He has the potential to be more than just an asset in Japan."

_With all due respect, Master Bruce, I'm not sure you even know how to differentiate between an asset and a colleague_.

"Is that why you gave the boy a rough lecture tonight? Rewarding him with gadgets you don't need and scolding him for neglecting a case… Very much like how you've treated both of your _wards_," Alfred noted, giving him a pointed look.

Bruce shrugged at that. He didn't see the harm in this method since it's worked thus far. "Yes, well, that's how it'll have to be for now. Hachiman Hikigaya can be a stuttering greenhorn with a... twisted point of view, but the _heart_ is there."

"Faith... in another person? I see. Well, far be it from me to get in the way of such development within you, sir," Alfred said with a smirk, leaving the conversation at that as Bruce finished changing.

Indeed, it was a rare occasion for Bruce Wayne to place even a tiny bit of confidence in another person, much less a child from a different country. Of course, that meant Hachiman had to work at the same level of high performance that he showed two weeks ago, as Huntsman, forever. Any less or any different, Bruce would continue to show his disappointment to the boy. This method of encouragement, if one could call it that, was what Alfred still wanted to protest.

_You feel his heart is similar to yours, despite having vastly different circumstances. Brilliant for you, Master Bruce. However, I'm not certain I can say the same for the boy, when… the opportunities are still endless for this student. Would you understand it if I said that the extent of your influence is what I fear most for him? _

_He may be thousands of miles away, compared to Master Richard and Master Jason. However, I can't help but feel the distance makes it that much easier for Mr. Hikigaya to idolize all of your ways._

Alfred leaned back in the chair, clearing the computer screen of any Huntsman-related files. A couple of keyboard inputs and spoken codewords sprung open a number of programs. The Batsuit was given the usual diagnostics scan and the Batcomputer's defenses were tested.

He was mindlessly scrolling over social media updates posted by villainous henchmen, who knew nothing about subtlety, when Bruce finally spoke up again.

"I'll be back within an hour, Alfred. Please have things ready for an early deployment tonight by the time I get back."

"Very well, sir. Though, if you're intending to visit Ms. Vale before then, might I suggest a change in attire?" Alfred asked, scowling at the befuddled heir. "Your reputation is on icy ground with this Yukinoshita Constructions ordeal. The least you could do is not present yourself like a _bum_ to Gotham's loveliest reporter."

_I pressed three pairs of jackets and pants this morning alone, for no reason at all? Am I a joke to you, Master Bruce?_

Bruce gave him an incredulous look. "Alfred—"

Not stopping, Alfred continued to speak over him. "Well, perhaps whatever you have with her can still be salvaged. Many women stand by their supposedly 'corrupt' men, so long as they remain optical. Believe it or not, I speak from experience, so please go put on a suit—"

"_Look_, I'm just going out for a run on the grounds. Lucius and the board are handling things until I'm ready to give a statement," Bruce explained, putting on a beanie. "Neither Vale nor anyone else will be hearing from me until tomorrow morning about any of this."

Alfred was far from happy to hear Bruce easily dismiss the first real girlfriend he's had in years.

"_Good grief_. Mr. Fox may be able to handle all things business, but shouldn't you at least _deign_ to think about responding to Ms. Vale's personal calls? The longer you wait…" Alfred trailed off, knowing the chances of that were nonexistent.

"She'll be fine, probably. I certainly know I'll be fine, Alfred," said Bruce, proving the old butler right. "If I'm being honest, I don't expect this 'scandal' to last longer than a week in the news cycle. The story is bound to get bumped off soon enough."

Fed up with Bruce's continued nonchalant approach, Alfred waved his arms in surrender. "So what, pray tell, leads you to believe things will be as simple as that, Master Bruce?"

Bruce didn't give Alfred an immediate response, opting to fidget with the Batmobile console a bit before heading out. Alfred assumed he would be ignored, as per usual. Dismissing advice from those who had his best interests at heart—it's what Bruce Wayne did best, after all.

So it was surprising when, a few moments later, the Wayne heir sighed before glancing back at Alfred. Seeing his most trusted confidant, with his back turned and hunched over the Batcomputer, elicited a tinge of guilt in the younger man.

With a solemn tone, just loud enough for the old man to hear, he uttered, "It's Gotham."

Alfred heard nothing else after that—other than the rattle of the elevator shaft moving up and his own fingers still clicking against the keyboard. Alone at last.

"Right you are, sir," Alfred whispered to himself. The reality was that they lived by one of the worst cities of the country. A city of perpetual sin and crime galore, with many days far worse than the last. That the playboy billionaire's illicit business affairs managed to steal the Gazette's front page, meant it was a rather slow news day.

When all was said and done, however, Alfred Pennyworth gathered no relief from Gotham City being a reliable shithole. Although Bruce was right that his fifteen minutes of shame would probably last as much, therein laid a contradiction to his argument. For all the time and effort Bruce Wayne put into the city as Batman, what exactly did he have to show for it?

_Results can cut both ways among men and it is indisputable that time is finite for every individual. To place that much faith in either abstract isn't wrong so much as it is just insufficient. There's only so much one man can accomplish before plateauing. __There is another way, Master Bruce. A supplemental method to all of the success you've brought alone, but have erroneously chosen to… ignore. _

_I have my fair share of beliefs and principles, sir, but the people I know have a much larger claim to my heart and faith. As it should be, for the last good men and women of Gotham. If you tried thinking of others as partners more often than relying on components of reality… _

As if on cue, Alfred heard three instances of a _ping _sound ring up one after the other from the Batcomputer. He knew this familiar sound well and looked to the appropriate screen. The Batcave and its main system had been notified of one suit deactivation and the activation of two other suits. Alfred expected Hachiman to retire his suit to go to bed, but for Bruce's wards to activate theirs… hours much earlier than usual?

He figured Bludhaven and Jump City must have been facing severe trouble. And both young men, one barely a man and the other no older than Hachiman, were expected to go out and defend their respective cities. At this, Alfred's brow furrowed and he sunk his old self into his comfy chair.

_I have to remind myself that even this conviction I have, once shared with Master Thomas and Mistress Martha, isn't perfect. In fact, it's also devolved into a source of shame._

_Take a stroll in my walkers, Master Bruce—whatever distance you can manage with these old, withered legs. Quickly enough, you'd see what tragedies mine eyes behold everyday in this new era, spawned by the complacencies of generations past. Including my own._

"Children, _bloody_ children, burdened with the duty to uphold justice in a society that has long wept for its righteous comfort. I… I don't recognize this awful, weary world."

Resigning himself to another night filled with worry and despair, the old man clasped his bony hands together and bowed his head in silence.

* * *

**A/N**: My bad for the terribly long wait and for what is another boring exposition chapter. He's finally out of the damn den... and into some riveting SoL stuff in the next chapter. Some may recall I said the Service Club would appear in this chapter, but I couldn't manage to do that without making it overtly long. I had to split the original chapter into two because of that AND because, from now on, the story will be told in first-person POV.

I guess it could be said these first three chapters are simply 'prologue' chapters. Keep in mind I've only got about 4-5 months of the 'second year' left to work with and I've got an outline on how things will end up. This third chapter dealt with Hachiman/Huntsman's meager bonds with the people in his life and what I'd like to put focus on during the story while he comes across developments to his vigilante lifestyle. Unlike Canon Hachiman, this guy isn't as strongly connected with people like his clubmates or even with Komachi—can that be changed and, if so, how? Next few chapters will begin to show that, by messing around with the canon material. Got about 12k words written for chapter 4 exclusively in first-person, so fingers crossed it gets done and released soon enough.


	4. The Hikigaya Clan

_**Hikigaya Midori**_

Monday morning. The absolute worst day of the week and yet, I couldn't help but feel super relaxed? Rather than resisting, I've embraced this rare moment of clarity—feeling as if I'm able to do anything I set my mind to. Naturally, I took a quick shower and moved into the kitchen to cook breakfast for everyone.

The room was a bit chilly and my toes yearned for the warmth of the slippers I left upstairs. I turned on the stove and started making a few of the dishes that my mother used to make. Despite her techniques and recipes ingrained into me since I was a child, my skills have definitely become rusty. I couldn't manage slicing the green onions without nicking my finger like a total loser. Ouch.

Well, at least the miso soup tasted alright, to the standard that no one would complain about. At its side, I had some leftover porridge heating up nicely. I couldn't exactly make breakfast without taking last week's 'illness' into account. Smelt as great as porridge could and I actually looked forward to having some myself.

Oh? What's this I hear? Another early bird coming downstairs? Good, I could use another able body here. Just in time for them to help me set the table and I had a feeling it was the only other person in this house who knew the proper layout. Who else besides myself and the youngest had the drive to get up this early in the morning?

True enough, Komachi's tiny figure came into view with the fluffy cat in tow. Poor thing was rubbing her eyes out of exhaustion. She must have stayed up late into the night, playing with Ka-kun again. Silly girl, I _told_ her not to overindulge in those sweets her father gave her.

"Morning kaa-chan," she said, stifling a yawn.

"Good morning yourself, dear," I replied, sighing in her direction. Komachi didn't seem to notice it though, as she took to burying her head in my shoulder.

Oof, super cute, but I totally felt the impact and nearly stumbled over. I still like to think of her as 'tiny', however, Komachi and I have been of similar height and weight for close to two months now. She has to know this much too, at least. You still have room to grow dear, so please be considerate before crashing down onto your poor mother, yeah?

Ah, we simply must stop babying her and by 'we', I mostly mean her obsessive father. "I know you're still tired, Komachi. Maybe some breakfast will wake you up, so help me set the table."

Like a good girl, she nodded her head and lifted herself off me to do as I said. Soon enough, we were digging into our share of the rice, miso soup, and other traditional sides that I prepared. Not bad, if I say so myself, and Komachi seemed to agree with the way she smiled at every sip and bite. Eat to your heart's content, little one, but be mindful of the two bottomless pits still resting upstairs.

As I bit into the salmon nori, Komachi got the idea to turn on the nearby television. Kind of a shame, I thought we'd be able to have a conversation this morning. But I guess this is what her generation preferred in lieu of _talking_. I hope she wasn't being influenced by her brother, the last thing this house needs is a third cynic—

"—_Direct confirmation that a whopping total of fifty-eight alleged criminals were apprehended last night from across all the wards of Chiba. Sources tell us thirty of them were, again, taken down by the masked vigilante known as Huntsman_."

"Fifty-eight?! That's absolutely ridiculous," I blurted out, almost spilling my bowl of rice in the process.

Komachi was taken aback by my sudden outburst, but could she really blame me? Not even ten seconds in and the television's already brought my entire mood down. Unbelievable. To think that thirty of these _monsters_ would have gotten away if it weren't for that reckless man in the mask. Just what the hell is going on with this city?

"Kaa-chan, please, just look!" Komachi hurriedly stopped me from going off, pointing back towards the screen.

She said so with such excitement that I couldn't help but follow her line of sight. The news just announced last night's travesty, what was there to be happy about? From what I could tell, we were looking at surprisingly good quality footage of an alleyway's CCTV camera. Good enough to see everything despite the nighttime. Hmph, maybe our taxes _are_ being put to good use—

My thoughts were stopped by a deafening shriek, shaking me to the core.

Oh God. A moment later, another blood curdling scream came from a young woman running barefoot, quickly tripping over herself by the entrance of the alleyway. A tall, burly figure stepped into view soon after, looming over her defenseless self. We could hear her cries from the camera footage, pleading for the man to stop. He didn't. He grabbed a fistful of her shoulder length hair and pressed her face against the pavement.

_No way_. I reached for the remote immediately but the little brat swiped it before I could even touch the damn thing.

"Komachi, turn it off, _now_," I demanded, glaring at the little missy.

"Uh uh," she replied, unfazed as her eyes were still glued to the television.

"_Hah?!_ Have you lost your mind? A woman is about to be violated and you want to watch it?!" I yelled out, pissed off at the girl in front of me _and_ at the news idiots who chose to air this, first thing in the morning! "Give me that, _right now_—"

"Woah!" Komachi jumped up in her seat, pointing at the television.

The poor woman's cries from the television were soon cut off by a sharp gust of wind. Hearing that was enough to stop me and turn back to the screen.

I didn't expect to see, what I assumed was a CCTV camera, suddenly _flying_ itself straight towards the lecherous thug. Once within reach, a short, dark pair of legs outstretched from underneath the camera's point of view. They connected with the would-be rapist's backside, launching him forward onto the sidewalk with an audible crack. From the corner of the video, the lady had been freed and ran away from the scene as fast as she could.

What happened next was a jumbled mess, but I could tell that the cameraman had rushed over to the thug and got on top of him. The thug whimpered in fear, shrieking in pain at every punch his upper body was given. Despite this, the thug hadn't given up without a fight and landed a few hits back at his assailant, shaking the camera's point of view more than a few times. Eventually, the hero seemed to have had enough and bashed the thug's head like an angry gorilla.

The third bash with his gauntlet-covered fists produced a sickening crunch. Hero-san's fists had _leveled_ the thug's already flat nose even further, knocking him out cold and giving him one hell of a nose bleed.

I took a sip of my tea, pleased that the… necessary violence finally ended. Weirdly enough, hero-san began wrapping the unconscious man with some kind of rope before dragging him back to a hidden spot in the alleyway. A few seconds after that, the video footage ended. Heh, who was this guy behind the camera? Some kind of action-cam, bounty-hunting, ape?

"—_Again, what we just showed you was, according to our sources, footage recovered alongside one of the alleged criminals arrested last night. It is,_—"

"Wow."

"Kaa-san, shh!"

"—_with great reason, to say this video has provided us all with a first-person point of view of the Huntsman's nightly vigilante activities_."

"Yeah, who else would it be?" I asked mockingly, trying to downplay the shock over what we just saw. Kami-sama, this is totally beyond unbelievable. So you're telling me this masked man is not just an _idiot_, but an idiot with a plan that's actually helping the police win cases? Better than him, like, messing things up instead, but what gives? Does this mean Chiba wouldn't have been able to handle itself all along?

"_I have to admit, 'what a hero!' was my first reaction after seeing this footage, Junko-san. I'm sure many of our viewers at home feel the same, regardless of the violence he used to rescue that poor woman_," the news anchor lady had added to the discussion, swooning like a bimbo.

"Teehee, as expected of the savior of Chiba!" Komachi giggled out.

Great, you too huh? Ahh, right, I almost forgot.

_Yoink_. I snatched the remote from my daughter's hands, giving her a frown. She seemed mildly surprised at this.

Hmph, seems I have to explain everything this morning. "Sure, that may have been quite a sight to see. However, the next time I tell you to do something, don't just give me an 'uh uh'. Got it?"

"Yeah... sorry kaa-chan," Komachi nodded, bopping her own head in submission.

"Right, right. Now go upstairs and get some rest, dear. Let your father know it's time to get up along the way," I told her, lifting the empty plates off the table to wash them. I was midway through lathering one plate with soap when I spotted Komachi fidgeting beside me.

"...Um, is this a test? I have school to go to, kaa-san," Komachi pointed out in her confusion.

My brows furrowed at being questioned again, but I let it slide since I _was_ slightlymessing with the cute girl. The fault lies on me for putting this idea off the whole weekend. That news bit really, how they say, _finalized_ my decision.

"No tests, no tricks. You're staying home today, Komachi. Rest of the week as well. I'll be calling your school shortly after I'm done washing up and see what needs to be arranged," I answered her truthfully.

"What?! How come?!" she cried out, _quite_ loudly for a girl who looked like death not ten minutes ago.

After a quick rinse, I gave her my full attention. "It's quite simple. For the time being, I really don't think it's safe for you to be out there while this chaos is going on."

Upon realizing I was serious, she hastily jumped back in. "But kaa-san, I can't miss regular lessons or cram school now! My entrance exams—"

"—Will mean nothing if you get _hurt_, Komachi. I mean, we just saw a young woman placed in a terrible, disgusting situation. You can continue studying as much as you want here, where it's safe." I said, crossing my arms defensively. Surely she can understand why?

"...Kaa-san. That lady was alone and out at night—nothing even happened to her because she was rescued. School's during the day and I'm always with friends, so I'll be fine! Please, I can't skip out, I _really_ need the help," Komachi pleaded, her hands clasped together in earnest.

Gah. How could I refuse a plea like that? Was I... overreacting? Maybe. "Maybe… no. No, I'm not leaving it to chance. I've had a few coworkers face trouble even during the day—"

"—Then you shouldn't be going outside either, kaa-san! But we all go anyway because it's important!" Komachi yelled desperately.

"That's not the same, I'm an adult with children in mind and you're one of them. I have the safety of your father and our coworker's carpool to rely on, the moment we both step out of here," I shakily argued back, placing my hands on the table as I towered over her. "Even the company has adjusted everyone's work hours to ensure we all get home as soon as possible."

"But I really do have my friends too… and this is the last time we get to be together before we separate. They're all _smarter_ than me, kaa-san. I don't want to be left behind, I-I want to pass and get into my first choice too," Komachi barely got out, shrinking back down.

Ah, seeing her react that way makes me feel like a brute. Saying all that couldn't have been easy for her to admit. I closed the gap between us and enveloped Komachi in an embrace, knowing full well what would come next. Her surprise was obvious, even when I couldn't see her face. Not a moment later, however, she dug into my shoulder once more and broke into tears. Ah… my poor, ditzy, _sweet_ Komachi.

"Now, now," I comforted her, carefully petting her head. "It's a little selfish to expect your friends to protect you when they're just as small and at risk as you, right?"

"...I-I guess. But you should stay too," she timidly argued.

"We want to, that's for sure. But your father and I still have to work because our wages are a necessity and we're already taking a cut at the moment with this mandated curfew," I explained to Komachi as she gets off of my shoulder, still clinging onto my arms. She looks at me earnestly with wet, upturned eyes.

"C-Compromise, right?" Komachi croaked out, finally smiling when I proudly nodded at her for using the word correctly. "So maybe I'm not meant to go to Sobu after all."

Geez, what a quick mood switch!

"No, you can do it! This doesn't mean you won't, like, get into your first choice, y'know? You can spend the entire day, everyday, studying for Sobu inside here—you have your 'Onii-chan' to rely on for sure!"

Komachi got off me right after I made the suggestion. She accepted the napkin I had in hand and rapidly blew her tiny nose. Oh? She doesn't seem thrilled about the idea, I guess they're still not on good terms.

"No, I don't. _Nii-san's _been _sick_ and when he wasn't _sick_, he was always busy. I don't even see him anymore," she said, looking away from me.

Calling him 'Nii-san' now, eh? Aw and she's crossing her arms in a huff to show that she's serious. Good grief that's petty _and_ cute..

"Well, whether he's still _sick_ or not, he won't be going back to school either, nor will he have permission to go out. There you go, he'll have the entire week to help you with your studies and any homework the school keeps bringing over."

"No can do, kaa-san."

_Hah_?! I jolted at the sudden interruption, turning around to see a droopy-looking teenage boy. He seemed to be fresh out of the shower, but still dressed _shabbily_ in his high school uniform. What's with the nerve of this kid, trudging into the kitchen like it's nobody's business? No consideration for his poor mother's heart so as to _not_ sneak up on her? Imagine my shock. High schoolers—they never change.

Hmph. And why not? If Hachiman took care of himself, he wouldn't even look half as gloomy. _I _think he would be quite fetching and I'm not even saying that out of motherly obligation! He's very much the spitting image of his father at that age—and even _that_ man managed to land himself with someone like me in the end.

Stupid boys and their… antics. Their nonchalant attitudes and insensitive choice of words. If you're going to look like your father, at least adopt your mother's personality, yeah? 'The seed is strong' their silly father _loves_ to repeat that stupid phrase about his son's likeness. It was truly disappointing that neither my son nor daughter inherited my eye color. Hachiman's taking a bit too much after Goemon, especially now that he's scowling at me like _I'm_ the crazy one.

Still, the ahoges that Hachiman and Komachi were born with? That work was all _mine_ to claim. All the more reason to love them both as I do—it's a mark of eternal endearment, really. One that my family lineage will surely pass on until the end of time. You're an arrogant little boy if you think you won't have to do your part one day, Hachiman. Might as well give in and clean up nicely for a change. Practice finding a nice girl for that inevitable future.

Stranger things have happened, trust in mommy.

* * *

_**Hikigaya Hachiman **_

"Hachiman! Don't scare me like that!" Kaa-san yells at me.

Tch, not five seconds into the kitchen and I already got poked twice in the ribs. As if her manicured nails _aren't_ the sharpest thing in this house. I'm just glad she didn't touch my torn side. She'd have fit if I started bleeding over the clean kitchen floors.

Whatever, I'm hungry. "Ah, my bad. Good morning by the way. Breakfast done? I'm heading out early—"

She ignored my question and stepped closer to feel my forehead with her hand. For what reason? I have no idea why.

"Hmm. I guess your fever's gone, that's good! But you're feeling well, right? Don't push yourself and take your medicine today, otherwise it could come creeping back," she advised, looking at me with deep concern. What? Why?

Oh, _right_. You're in the midst of lying to your own mother, Hachiman. Remember that much, at least. "Yeah, I've been feeling better since yesterday. Ready to go back to Sobu… is that nori-wrapped _salmon_—"

"—You're not going back to school, Hachiman. Like you heard, I'd rather you both stay here and study indoors for the rest of the week," Kaa-san cut me off, speaking with an air of finality.

"Well, like I said, no can do," I responded, grabbing a plate and sitting down to eat my share of the food.

Unsatisfied with my response, however, my mother lifted the plate away from my grasp and scowled at me.

Yeesh. Her emerald gaze pierced my very soul with deep skepticism. "And why not? Don't tell me you've suddenly developed a work ethic and love going to school now?"

How rude. I accomplished a lot this week, y'know? But no, of course she wouldn't know anything about that. Were kaa-san ever to find out what I've been up to, I have a feeling she'd go full on tiger mom and rip me a new one. I sighed, deciding to just come out with it. The truth and _nothing_ but the truth.

That's right, mother! Shocking as it is, I'm—"I'm dangerously close to being over the limit of allowed absences this year. Anymore and I'll be taking more remedial classes than I can handle."

"What?! Really?" she snapped, her eyes bulged in shock.

"Yeah. Worst-case scenario, I'd have to _repeat_ the year. Or so my sensei says," I finished, whipping out my phone and showing her a LINE message I got from none other than Hiratsuka-sensei.

As easily as she did with my food, kaa-san took my phone away, presumably to examine the contents of the message I received last night. Normally, any guy would be against the idea of his mother sifting through his private messages, but I had nothing to hide. Nothing in _there_, truth be told. Even all of the past embarrassingly long-winded texts that Hiratsuka-sensei occasionally sent have already been promptly deleted.

Don't worry, my mother won't think you're some desperate cradle-robber, fiending after her son, Hiratsuka-sensei. You should feel grateful, that is, if my memory serves right... and I _did _delete them.

Meh, I'm too busy scarfing down this delicious salmon and ignoring Komachi's look of disgust to care about anything else.

"Your sensei actually messages you updates about the school and classwork? What a modern, offhand approach…" kaa-san said after a moment.

I wasn't sure if she was more surprised that Hiratsuka-sensei did this or that I actually had a person message me on the device. Either way would have hurt me… were I to actually care about such things.

I fought off a slight wetness in my eyes and raised a brow at her, fully intending to pass this all off as nothing more than routine behavior for teachers nowadays. Again, you should feel grateful, sensei.

"Yeah, teachers at my school are pretty proactive," I explained, taking a swig of green tea. "Um, I guess that's what Komachi will have to get used to during next year. _If _she gets in, that is."

Suddenly the room got quiet and I felt a rise in temperature. It was as if two heated fans were blowing in my direction, causing me to fan my shirt back and forth. What's this? From the corner of my eye, I see my sister sporting a look of pure rage. Were her hands actually clenched into tiny, shaking fists? Wow and her killing intent towards me soared to the heavens and back. Quite harsh for someone so small—a sign that she was undeniably her mother's daughter.

Even kaa-san resented what I just said, it seems. I didn't even have to look in her direction. Years of discipline taught me to feel for the daggers in her eyes instead of looking right at them. I _totally_ don't understand. Did I say something… wrong?

"That wasn't nice, Hachiman," kaa-san finally broke the ice. "Of course your sister will get into Sobu High, as you did. She's been working _very _hard."

Hook, line, _and _sinker.

I take another bite of my salmon before explaining myself. "I'm not talking about the entrance exam. I'm talking about how her latenesses in junior high will also be taken into account."

The tardy girl in question subdued her rage and gave out a confused "Huh?"

Tch, seems I have to explain everything this morning. "I remember you receiving a late notice last month. Wasn't that your third one this year? Not good. Sobu performs in-depth profile checks of all student applicants. Well, you'll probably scrape by if you pass the entrance exam and your attendance is on point from now on."

*crunch* _Amazing._ *munch*

"...However, if you take a week off, sans extenuating circumstances," I continue, "all your hard work will be for nothing."

With both of my _factual _bombshells out there, I take another swig of the cooled green tea. Super chilled and refreshing. Nothing could beat kaa-san's cooking and I had so much more to look forward to after the salmon! Miso soup, rice, natto, porridge, and _eggs_? Delicious.

Preparing myself a bowl of rice, I could see Komachi tugging at kaa-san's apron. Our mother clutched her head in exasperation. Poor woman was probably confuddled after I threw down all of these, admittedly exaggerated, facts.

"Kaa-san, please let me go. If what he's saying is true, then I don't have much time until I'll be late again," Komachi pleaded.

"Sorry, kaa-san. I'll be leaving regardless," I chimed in after.

She was very flustered at being bombarded like this, a clear sign that we'd be getting our way. You could say I felt pretty bad for her. Kaa-san took it upon herself to cook us all breakfast this early in the morning, and she _still_ had to listen to her children's selfish wants? What a pity.

Where was pops in all this? He's still snoozing away? Come down here and back her up before I end up doing it myself, old man. Honestly, I could probably do with or without school at this point. Give me another week to finish building the Hunter's Den, homework and club be damned...

No, that's a lie. I'd be putting my family at risk with Isshiki Iroha if I really stopped showing up to Sobu. I still remember my earlier conversation with the big guy, about how Sobu's my 'cage' for her to peek in. Last thing I need is for that insane girl to come snooping for me here, of all places. Second priority definitely had to do with my attendance record and any interesting intel from sensei. Third reason to go… was the matter of the Service Club and its president. I have to go, so waiting for my mother to concede was the best course of action.

She took another moment to gather her bearings, wearing a sad smile and all, before finally speaking up. "...Yeesh, what the heck? I guess nothing's going to go the way I want."

I suppressed the rebellious urge to chuckle and jump in with an 'I guess not'. Don't want to push my luck here. Plus, it would have been in bad taste. I figured that at least.

"Again, sorry kaa-san," I said instead. Komachi hesitantly joined my apology with a nod of her own.

Our mother shook her head and could only sigh in response. "There's no need to apologize to me, you two. Just hear me out, okay? I… I want you both to mind your surroundings with every step you take to and back from school. Take the quickest, safestroutes you know but please no unnecessary, _stupid_ shortcuts either. Do you understand me?"

We nodded our heads together, thinking that was enough, but her scrunched up face told us she wasn't having it. Kaa-san grabbed onto our sleeves so tightly she just might have been clutching onto our very souls. At that moment, it made no difference that either of us were as tall as or taller than her. The authority exuded in her voice and posture wasn't one to be trifled with. At the same time, however, there was also a gentle, comforting vibe to that authority that only _she_ has ever successfully enveloped us with.

Kaa-san was kaa-san, after all.

"You two can't understand how this feels, well, Komachi will someday while Hachiman will have something that only men can truly experience."

…Fatherhood? Doubtful.

Kaa-san blinked twice, her long lashes now wet from a few tears. Damn, this moment was getting to her. "I can only say so much, hoping that would be enough. But that's foolish, thinking something like motherhood can be expressed and understood through words alone.

Your mandated attendances are out of my hands and you two seem really determined to go. I swear, like, only you kids can make me feel so proud and worried all at once. My words are all I have to offer, so I'll say this much—_don't_ play with my heart. _Don't_ be reckless with your life. This is your home, promise me you'll bring yourselves back here everyday."

"Yes, kaa-san," Komachi and I said in unison, for the first time in what has felt like… years.

Seeing as I don't plan on dying or getting severely injured anytime soon, this is a promise I could keep. Not to kaa-san's full satisfaction, of course. What she doesn't know won't hurt her, I believe. Does it count if I'm actually pledging to return home after every nightly patrol? There must be some reprieve in that, right?

Hmm, I shouldn't ask myself questions that I know the answer to. It didn't help ease the guilt of lying to my own caring mother for the second time in a week. She just bared her feelings of worry to someone like myself and my time at night won't respect that. A model son, I am not.

"Alright then. I'm leaving!" Komachi waved bye, only to our mother, speeding off to the door to get her coat and boots on in a hurry.

Kaa-san wasted no time rushing over, almost tripping herself in the process. "H-Hey, I know I said you can leave, but maybe your father and I could cancel our carpool and quickly drop you both off in half an hour?" she offered.

Ah man, a ride to school would be pretty relaxing—

"—Tou-chan takes too long to get ready and I need to get to school to help my friend before class starts!" Komachi interrupted, only slightly glancing back.

Forget your friend, it's a _free _ride. Don't leave just yet, otherwise...

Kaa-san starts again, "Yes, he does, but I can rush him—"

"—Don't worry! I said I'll be safe! Bye bye!" Komachi interrupted again, grabbing her bag and bolting out the door the second her boot laces were strapped on tight, leaving our mother in the dust.

Kaa-san stood there just looking at the door, barely moving after Komachi rushed out. Anyone outside of our family would have mistakenly believed our mother was merely lost in thought, daydreaming even. But those who have known her for years could see beyond just that, especially when the signs were all there.

Like the way she clenched her hands so tightly that her knuckles turned white; both tiny shoulders raised above her neck, filled with tension. Were she to turn around, I bet I could see all that pent up anxiety reaching up to her face—brows furrowed and her green eyes bulged to their utmost capacity.

She was despondent.

Damn it all. Damn you, Komachi. I glanced at the kitchen clock and saw that I was still fairly ahead of schedule. Good, because otherwise this stunt I'm about to pull would have been even more of an inconvenience.

I retrieved my bag and quickly made my way over to the front door, leaving my perfectly scooped bowl of rice and other foods back at the table.

"Kaa-san, stop worrying," I said, passing by her to get my shoes on.

"W-What?" she stuttered, finally snapping out of that troublesome state.

"Komachi will get to school safely, because I'll make sure of it," I explained, putting on my coat and finally ready to leave. "It's cold and she got a head start, but I'll catch up with her on my bike."

Assuming she's on the usual route to get to her school, that is. I've been around that area for more than a few nights, so I generally know my way around. If all else fails, I guess I could just go on ahead and try to wait for Komachi at her school's entrance for as long as I can. I'll text kaa-san just to confirm everything's fine after seeing her off. Anymore than that, I cannot promise—

"Ahh," I gasped out. My train of thought was cut off when I felt a firm tug at the hem of my coat. Man, suffice to say, I should have expected something like this to happen. I dared to glance back at the obvious perpetrator and was met with an award winning smile.

"You're such a good son, Hachiman," kaa-san whispered to me, letting go of my coat. With her free hand, she softly brushed my bangs to each side. It was always perplexing how gentle she could still be even with those painted, filed _claws_ of hers. I stepped back once she started playing with my ahoge like I was a kid again. Gah, so embarrassing!

"Enough already, kaa-san," I said.

"Hmph. Sorry not sorry, Hachi," she replied, feigning a pout.

How irritating. Reminds me too much of the brat. Please act your age, woman. "Bye then."

"Wait," she said, right as I opened the door.

Damn, when can I leave? You understand that, soon enough, I'll be on borrowed time, right? "What is it?"

"Hachiman, just know that we always worry about you too in the same way," kaa-san stated firmly, tilting her head at me. "If it came to it, I would have fought tooth and nail with your father to let you stay home again for another week, y'know?"

Heh, that old man is a _simp_ when it comes to you and Komachi. There wouldn't have been much of an argument once you made a decision. Kind of sad on his part, really.

"Even during times like these, isn't it still bad to tell your children that truancy is the way to go?" I asked her with a bit of snark. I turned away and finally stepped outside as kaa-san processed my words. Hmph, nice victory. Or that's what I thought until I heard her clutching onto the side of the door frame.

"Oookay. Have it your way, brat. I'll think about that the next time you're, like, suddenly _sick _for a whole week," she said, chuckling to herself at the end.

Wait… that means this whole time she—

I turned back once more to find my mother grinning like a cheshire cat. The smug woman nodded at me a few times before waving farewell and closing the front door. To say I was left dumbfounded was a gross understatement.

Theatricality and deception—powerful weapons against the uninitiated. So what gives?! It wasn't enough for me to heat my thermometer, drink cough medicine, and down only porridge and soups all week?!

Did I have any form of control over this facade of mine? Why the hell am I on my bike, racing across the roads in the midst of winter? By putting myself under such duress, I basically admitted there was never an illness to recover from.

Just… damn it all. She may be my own mother, but I really overestimated my own ability to maintain a lie. A lie that came from a sudden, untenable desire to avoid attending the Service Club. That reality was made on a childish whim and this was my loss. Once more, I regretted faking my illness purely out of emotion.

I wasn't alone in making an emotion-driven decision this week, it seems. The only reason kaa-san would give me a pass and let me stay home for as long as I did had to do everything with the hole I had in my right arm, courtesy of Lady Comedy's FN Five Seven. That was only about a month ago, I believe, and she would never forget something like that. I bet she enjoyed me putting down the "tough guy act" and letting her nurse me for the first time in years.

"It's not that I ever yearned to do this… but I must learn how to deceive even you, kaa-san. My bad for being a pain in the ass son," I whispered to myself.

I took solace of the fact that neither of the two other Service Club members could prove I was faking at all. They'll have to take my word for it… unless _Lady Luck_ decides to be a slut again and have me cycle onto the same path as either of them. Quickly, I became a bit more aware of the people I rode by, trying my best to discern any familiar peachy or black-haired girls.

As much as I tried to not let it get to me, I felt a bit self-conscious over people looking at me like an idiot for biking in such cold weather. To think I would have to be on the lookout for a couple of girls… just to keep up a lie that's already in shambles. It really didn't have to be like this.

It's only going to be harder from here on out, Hachiman. The time to bear with what I signed up for has long past. Logic and common sense must prevail whenever possible, to achieve the most efficient outcome. I prided myself over acting on such a mindset ever since _that_ night in the alleyway. There's no excuse as to why this isn't second nature to me, after all these years. Despite thinking this way, I still felt compelled to go in pursuit of Komachi and beyond.

It's winter and I'm wasting precious energy, pedaling away to find my sister, who's _still _got beef with me. Why? To keep her out of trouble and ease kaa-san's worries.

I'm going back to Sobu, after a week long absence. Turned down the offer to stay at home. Why? To protect my family, keep up appearances, and evaluate the state of affairs.

At school I'll be looking over my shoulder for a lurking Isshiki Iroha. The very one I argued in favor of keeping her identity as Lady Comedy away from the police. _Why_?! To selfishly satisfy my stupid, _stupid _sense of pity.

_Hng_! The pain in my sides increased as I pushed myself to keep pedaling. Just where was this girl? It was getting harder to breathe and focus my eyes on the road in front of me. Everything about the current state of my body spoke to the idiocy of my emotion-driven resolve.

Being human has its limitations and I can only play the hand that I'm dealt. As unfair as it is for the potential of human emotion to triumph over human physicality everytime, that's just how life works.

This is something I have to do alone, as I've resigned to do so just a couple of months back. That goes for any mistakes and sentimental decisions I will inevitably make down the line.

'_I hate how you accept and affirm weakness._'

'_I think that people should push themselves to their limits to improve themselves._'

For some reason, that ice woman's past words popped right back into my head as I stopped at a red light. Strange, because I'm not even conceding to her beliefs about hard work. In fact, me accepting my limitations and working with them anyway absolutely vindicates my response from back then.

Effort will never betray you, though it will betray your dreams. At the very least, your hard work will provide you with consolation. You're free to be content with that self satisfaction, no matter what others may think. Want a sappy silver lining from that? If you're lucky, eventually you may reach a goal that never crossed your mind in the first place.

I for sure didn't expect to have to pursue my sister with this old bike, just a few hours after my patrol. Yet here I am, exhausted but still speeding through against all odds.

And there _she_ is, just half a block away from my reach. Vindicated once again! Good thing too, my damn legs are killing me. Luckily, Komachi seems to have spotted me as well. Hmph, I expected this brat to give me a nasty look, even in public. As if she left me any other choice in the matter. Patience, just gotta drop her off and get on with the day.

Oh… she's running away from me.

* * *

_**Hikigaya Goemon**_

"Midori, you've been staring at that thing for a while now. Chill out," I told the poor, doting mother.

"I feel like an _idiot_. I really should have told either Hachiman or Komachi to call me as soon as possible. This is driving me up the wall," she said, pacing back and forth like some inane exercise routine.

She certainly looked the part of an anxious mother hen. This woman was making _me _sweat just by watching her and I was only sitting here, eating this delicious breakfast she prepared.

"Yeah, I can see that. Why not call one of them yourself?" I asked her, munching a bit from my bowl of rice.

Her eyes bulged with fury. "You think I haven't tried that?! Honestly, we get these kids hooked up with nice phones and plans and neither of them have the decency to pick up for their own mother!"

"Indoor voice, woman," I said. "It's too early to be shouting."

Midori typically sounds fine on any day, but she gets overtly shrill whenever something makes her anxious or excited. Kind of like a banshee, if you ask me.

Eh? She was giving me a heated look, something I've rarely seen since the days she regarded me with absolute disdain. Either she read my mind or my polite request for a softer tone backfired like hell.

"Would it _kill_ you to get up as early as I do? Especially now?" Midori asked.

No way. Who in their right mind would willingly do such a thing? Especially if they were in my position as corporate's favorite go-to bitch?

Ah man, seems like I have to explain everything this morning. "That's just it. When else is the company going to let us go in later and come out earlier than usual? Of course I'm going to sleep as much as I can. Like I told you before, my circadian rhythms haven't been this great since high school—"

"—Enough about your '_circadian rhythms_'," she cut me off, scorn laced in her voice. "Is it just me or does anybody else in this family care about how crazy Chiba's become?"

I tried to wave her down, this was getting out of hand. "Of course not. Look, it's just not healthy to be reacting the way that you are. You're spazzing—."

_No_, that was the wrong thing for me to say. That scorching, protective force of nature is a huge part of what Midori's about. She's got every right to feel that way—but certainly not to this extent.

As expected, she gave me this look of despair as if I betrayed her trust. "I'm not freaking out without good reason here! All I want is our children to be safe, is that really so much to ask?! We could have been in the car and safely drove them to their schools, _Goemon_!"

Crap. If looks could kill, I would have been dead halfway through her spiel. She's really not having it today. I've gone long enough being too nonchalant about the entire thing, when all it's done is make her feel alone. This is _our _duty as parents. _Our_ worries to share with one another.

So I got up and gently grabbed my trembling wife by her sides. "_Calm down_, dear. Come here, give me that thing and just sit down with me."

I could see a few tears spilling over from her eyes as I guided her over to the kitchen table, pocketing her phone while doing so. Damn, now I felt pretty bad for trying to make light of all this when she needed the opposite from no one else other than her husband. I got her to sit down in the empty chair right next to mine. However, she swiftly closed the distance between us again, leaning her head on my shoulder and sobbing for a few moments.

"I-I'm sorry for snapping, it's just... I really wanted them to stay here," she whispered, tearing my heart in two.

Come on, you gotta stop. I embraced the poor woman and gently pet her head, feeling like an idiot again for not doing so earlier. Her small form melted into me as she reciprocated my touch.

Soothing words weren't always my strongest suit but, as promised, I had to try my best for her. "I hear you, I hear you. Alright, I'm sorry too. You know me, I'm an awful hypocrite. I've also been worried since I came down and didn't see either of them at the table."

"Really?" she asked.

"Of course," I replied. "Just tried to be brave, I guess."

Midori snorted a bit at my lame confession. "Dummy, you should know by now not to hide these things from me."

I scratched my neck, embarrassed for more than a few reasons. That didn't stop me from looking straight at her to try and assert at least one of my points.

"I didn't lie when I said you were being a bit unhealthy about everything, though. Just try and look at it from my point of view, okay?" I asked her. She was looking down, trying to wipe off a dark smudge of her own doing in vain, before nodding for me to continue. "Hachiman's fast on his bike and he can't possibly miss Komachi while she's on foot. He'll reach her soon enough and any distant pretense going on between them will disappear on their way to school."

"But how could you know that?" she asked, finally eyeing me with a pair of glistening emerald pools. Heh, her favorite eyeliner streamed down her soft, rosy cheeks. Ahh, I wouldn't trade this beauty for the world… even if she did just ruin my favorite shirt.

I could only be honest with her. "I really don't. I grew up alone, remember? So I'm mostly going off of everything you've told me about what it's like to have siblings. Maybe they're not exact, but if Komachi and Hachiman are _anything_ like you and your brother…"

"...Then they've got each other's backs." she breathed out, finishing my sentence like it was some bright epiphany. It really wasn't.

"Exactly, especially when it counts," I said, giving her the best smile I could muster with this ugly mug of mine.

* * *

_**Hikigaya Hachiman**_

Took some time, but I finally had Komachi cornered right by a dingy-looking liquor store. We're not exactly far off from her school, but this is definitely not a safe neighborhood. This area pisses me off every night—that's enough of a reason why we needed to get out of dodge.

"It-It's cheating to chase a girl with your bike, creep," Komachi jeered at me.

The tiny pants in between her words told me she was totally out of it. Komachi would be late getting to school if she tried to walk there now. Still, the thought of just leaving this idiot here crossed my mind before I firmly squashed it down.

I took a few deep breaths, feeling a slight fatigue wash over me. "Making me pedal harder than I had to… all for nothing. I'll get you for this, damn brat."

"Hmph," Komachi snorted, giving me a scowl. "Take a hint then, _nii-san_. Just leave me alone!"

She really is annoying, sticking her damn tongue out at me like that. But I have to take it in stride for the moment. I don't think this airhead even knows where the hell she led us both with her wild goose chase. All it takes is a couple of turns to end up in the wrong block. Again, this area is a definite no-go zone for civilians, or even lone thugs, at night.

Hell, from the corner of my eye, I could see a couple of hooded, shady figures eyeing us from the alley across the street. Two mere scouts of a much larger pack, I bet. Like hell we're going to stay here and find out what they want. I hurriedly unlock a strap attached to my bike, hoping my urgency would be convincing enough for Komachi to obey me.

"Maybe I will next time. Take this right now and get on the bike," I throw her a spare helmet a bit more firmly than necessary. Hit her right in the chest, but she caught it.

"Ow! That hurt you _jerk_! Didn't you hear me? I said I can get there—"

I quit paying attention to her once one of the shady guys from the alley came out and leaned against the building. No joke, he definitely had us in his sights and I wasn't about to stand my ground right now.

Midway through her rant, I grabbed Komachi's hand and jerked her over to my side. "Move. _Now_," I commanded harshly, never letting go.

My voice and the look on my face must have finally left Komachi with no more room to argue. She complied, putting the helmet on and then sat right behind me.

The hooded man jaywalked across the street in our direction rather quickly. Needless to say, I pedaled the hell out of there before he could reach us. Thankfully, my airheaded sister clutched on to me as soon as we sped off. She'd better not let go, because I wasn't stopping anytime soon to give that prick behind us a chance to catch up.

Maybe I'll see you tonight, cocky bastard. Just give me a reason—see if you'll try to rush me then.

A couple of twists and turns and we were out of that hell hole. My watch says I've only been speeding through for three minutes, but it felt much more like fifteen. There might have been a few recognizable alleyways that could have been used as shortcuts, but I was no idiot. Empty streets and alleyways? Perfect spots for traps and easy ambushes.

About five minutes later, I noticed a lot of bustling activity in _this_ new area we've gotten to. Big family SUVs, middle schoolers walking in groups, some kids chaperoned by parents? Yeah, it seems we're in a good place. This crowded, familial vibe will ward off any daylight thugs. I suppose this is the true power of the herd, which was definitely useful in a pinch.

My legs were barely hanging on and I was getting tired of ignoring the red-light more than a few times, just to get to this point. With that and the depletion of my adrenaline, working my bike at this slower pace was all I could manage. It was a miracle that we still remained right on schedule as well. I took a slight turn, eyeing Komachi's school just a few blocks ahead.

"Shit!" I winced and jerked over due to one _hell_ of a sharp jab at my side.

Komachi's grip around me had tightened as we turned, her hands clutching at my bruises from last night's patrol. Thankfully, she sensed the source of my discomfort and retracted her hands immediately. I stopped the bike at the side of the curb, taking deep breaths and wincing as my ribs pulsed with pain.

"What did I do? A-Are you okay?" she stuttered out behind me.

I didn't answer Komachi's question. I refused to do so and just tried to endure the pain until it passed. She actually attempted to soothe me by rubbing my shoulder, but I shook her off. I mean, what good would that do anyway? After a few tries, she realized that's all I would do and didn't inquire or touch me any further. She muttered something nonsensical about 'growing pains' to herself. Good. I glanced back at her and spoke as if nothing had happened.

"Look, just hold on, alright? We're almost there."

Komachi didn't do so immediately, hesitation had taken hold of her. I pedaled on and, ultimately, felt her grasp onto my gut while giving my sides room to breathe. She did so very carefully and I only twitched an eyebrow this time, thanks to her consideration.

We would ride a couple of blocks before Komachi kept piping up with an "um", as if she was going to ask me questions before deciding against it. For whatever reason, she would make these tiny noises while fidgeting with her hands all around my stomach. Unfortunately, she did this more than once and I got sick of it real quick.

"Whatever it is, spit it out or be quiet," I said without looking back. My sister's school was just a couple of blocks away and soon I'd be rid of her. Regardless of whatever she was going to say or ask, I had no obligation to give her a response.

"Don't tell me to shut up! I just—forget it. _It's _just so weird, okay? I don't want to say it!"

Oh? Unsatisfied, I pressed her to give a better answer. "What's weird is _you_ making those strange noises right behind my back."

She hesitated once again, her fingers trembling at my gut again. "_Nevermind_. I was just a little weirded out—"

"—Over nothing, probably," I cut her off.

"Not over _nothing_,okay?!"

"So you say,"

"_Stop_—"

"Strange girl."

"AUGH! I was just thinking 'my stupid, idiot _gomi-san_ can't be this... _built_!' okay?!"

_Excuse me?_

"W-What?" I asked her to clarify, a bit of heat crawling onto my face. The hell is this girl saying? Why say something so embarrassing if you're going to get flustered too?

"I-I just didn't expect you to have… freakin' abs. Not with the way you've been gorging yourself with food and looking like a zombie everyday!

"_Oi_, I'm not the one who stuffs herself every night with candy—"

"Shut up! Gross! I hate you! I can't believe you actually made me say all of that!" Komachi yelled into my ear, driving us both to silence before I could even think of a response to all of that nonsense.

"…"

"..."

_I think I got this. _"...They just ramped up gym activities at Sobu, alright? And there was no need to say something that stupid—"

She taps my back and scoffs, as if to say she wasn't buying my excuses anyway. "Stop. Let's just drop it okay? My school's right there, I'm getting off."

It was as Komachi said, we ended up right by her middle school while we argued. She promptly got off the bike with her backpack in hand. Anything about the exchange we just had appeared to have gone up and away from her mind as she stretched her tiny limbs. A moment later, she excitedly waved to two people she spotted from, like, twenty feet away.

Ah, the eldest Kawasaki siblings.

The young boy, Kawasaki Taishi, slightly blushed as he smiled back—definitely at the sight of my imouto. Good thing too, I wouldn't know what the hell to do if he was giving _me_ that sort of look.

His older sister recognized who I was, which did surprise me a little, though she calmly redirected her gaze back towards her brother. She spoke a few words to him and took off on foot, her silver-blue ponytail disappearing amongst the crowd. What a diligent student Kawasaki's become! I suppose I should follow her example and get to our class on time as well. But perhaps I could do a quick stop—

I felt a tug at my wrist, stopping my train of thought. "Don't make a habit of staring at Taishi-kun's sister. I don't think you're her type."

This chick really wanted to pick a fight. How annoying. "I was doing nothing of the sort. Just get inside already, I have to go."

"Don't forget to call kaa-chan, okay?" Komachi asked. I rolled my eyes, thinking that was it. She ignored that and looked up at me again, getting closer. "And while we're at it… I want you to know this doesn't have to happen again."

Oh? I scowled at her. "Stop being vague. What are you talking about?"

This time _she_ rolled her own eyes, breathing through her nose like tou-san does when he's annoyed. "Look, thanks for getting me here safely today. I won't go through dangerous neighborhoods again, so don't give me rides to school anymore just because kaa-chan ordered you to. Taishi-kun and I walk home together after school too. Got it?"

That kid's your boyfriend or something? "Wow, and I'm supposedly the problem child here."

Once again, she flared up. "_Shut up_—"

"—_No_. Kaa-san didn't order me to do jack. Chiba's not safe and _you_ left me no choice. Don't assume my intentions without having anything to back up your claims." I walked my bike right past her, getting ready to leave.

But Komachi didn't want to leave it at that, she got right in front of me again and stuck her tongue out before replying. "Yeah, like I'm supposed to believe that."

I met her head on with a glare. "_Brat_. I made the decision on my own. I didn't even finish my breakfast."

"Ha. Now I know you're lying, _fatty_."

"Bite me—"

_*growl*_

As if on cue, my stomach rumbled loudly enough for her and her timidly approaching friend to hear. Our spat and the Kawasaki boy were stopped in their tracks for, what felt like, one of the longest moments of my life. But no laughter, no jeers, and no scoffs came from the two younger kids. Rather, they both wore looks of confusion and their cheeks appeared to have warmed up in the same manner as mine, as if sharing in my embarrassment.

Perhaps I'd be touched if my stomach didn't growl for a second consecutive time.

...I'm out of here, I didn't ask for this. Without a word, I raised a hand at a stuttering Komachi to stop her from saying anything else. Did she believe me now? I didn't care. I took off on my bike, leaving both middle schoolers in the dust. At this point in time, I was a woeful, wretched mess, yearning for the dishes I left back at home. Damn gut continued to rumble as I pedaled… I'll have to settle with buying some d-tier anpan at the convenience store near Sobu.

I can't believe it's come to this. That my decision to buy and eat more food was unwavering, really just fueled my current state of self-loathing. What is going on?

* * *

_**Hikigaya Goemon**_

"...Oh no. That's Hachiman's share you're eating. Our boy didn't even finish his meal," Midori clutched her head like she had a migraine.

Goodness, what a lovely, loving mother! If it's not her children's safety she's worrying about, it's their stomachs. Still, at least she's not crying anymore and that makes _me_ happy.

"Well, don't worry—none of it's not going to waste," I said, eating another spoonful. Of course I offered her a share of it as I munched on.

She wasn't amused, how typical.

"Your son must be starving!" Midori blurted out.

"Doubtful. He doesn't need to eat much just yet. The _blooming_ shouldn't start until sometime next year, remember?" I pointed out with a smirk.

"..."

Now _that _got her to stop nagging. "You remember, Midori?"

"..."

Hehe. "Y'know, 'cause _the seed is strong_—"

"—Shut up you pig," she cut me off, getting up from the table. "Just hurry finish eating and wash your dish. Doma-san and Motoba-san will be here soon with the carpool."

"Will do," I gave her a salute and she waved me off. Oh? Felt a vibration in my pants as I watched her walk away, swaying left to right… Ah right, I had her phone. That was probably it—yep.

"Yo," I called her back over.

She cutely peeks back from the hall. "Hmm?"

I wave her phone in the air. "You got a message. It's all good, our kids appear to be intact—"

Good grief. This woman practically glided over and swiped that thing away from me like candy from a baby. Now she's dialing away like there's no tomorrow! I mean, give the kid some room to breathe. Kind of off-putting to hear you whispering "Hachi… Hachi" at the same time, y'know?

Well, hopefully our no good son actually picks up the damn thing this time. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't feeling a bit relieved myself—would have gone searching for them if nothing had come up for another ten minutes.

Following the wife's orders, I got up from the table with my empty dishes in hand, dumping everything in the sink. I stretched out my arms, pleased with the cracking sensation of my old bones. My fingertips touched the ceiling with ease, covering them with a bit of dust. Now that was disgusting.

"Goemon, stop making a mess of yourself. Your shirt's already bad enough," Midori scolded me.

Tch, she had the nerve to say that as she reapplied her dumb makeup! I had half a mind to remind her who's at fault for the black blob on my shoulder. The other half told me it's smarter to just stay silent. Gotta remember to be wary of ladies who can handle a phone, a brush, _and_ a mirror all at once, especially if they're already scolding you over something. Multitaskers like that are monstrous beings and could surely spare the effort to _really_ put you down if you tried sassing them back.

Heh, she pouted at my lack of response. Not taking the bait this time, _darling_.

"If you're not going to change then don't forget to wear your blazer—Hachiman! Yes, I received your message, but I called you so many times before that! Did you two really make it safely?—"

He picked up? Good, now that's complete a load off our minds. Let's not repeat this for the rest of the week, yeah? Scratch what I said earlier about wanting the extra hours of sleep. I wouldn't mind getting up and driving both brats to school, even if it means ditching the carpool with our friends from work.

I mean, I couldn't even imagine how bad it'd turn out if some douchebag tried to mob my kids. Komachi, that little mini-Midori, leaves me a worried mess like no other. There's less worrying for my son, admittedly, but only because he's always had the makings of an independent, scary-looking guy. Courtesy of yours truly.

That said, there's only so much our likeness can do to help us blend in with thugs, boy. Scum can quickly tell the difference between other scum and ideal prey. I hope you're not stupid and know that much. Keep your head down and don't get yourself into any trouble, it's just not worth it now.

* * *

**A/N: **Hope the switch to first person wasn't too jarring. Unless it calls for it, the story will mostly be told from Hachiman's POV in future chapters. Just wanted to introduce my take on Hachi's mom (Hikigaya Midori) and dad (Hikigaya Goemon) this time around. If you want a visual aid, you can refer to the monologue manga's drawing of Hachiman's mother. Me, I'm picturing her as gaudy woman who looks like Hayama Kanade (Google her) with an ahoge and green eyes. Goemon's just a really tall, older looking Hachiman without the ahoge. Midori's name is self-evident if you just google it. I choose 'Goemon' because I imagine Hachiman was named after a legendary figure from Japan only because his father also grew up with an infamous name. 'G' comes before 'H' and blablabla. "Seed is strong" line is a dumb game of thrones reference.

Things are rough between Komachi and Hachiman. Let me know if you'd like to see things get better or worse. That also goes for using Japanese terms like "kaa-san" interchangeably with "mother". I hope it wasn't confusing at all, but I assume most didn't even notice.


	5. Return to Sobu (Part 1)

Chapter 5: Return to Sobu (Part 1)

_**Hikigaya Hachiman**_

My palms are sweaty and I was feeling restless—the urge to run away to Hokkaido was building up within.

Yeah, this wasn't a dream. I'm definitely back in Sobu High. The supposed final chapter of my youth. Leaving wasn't an option… but no one said anything to me about stress eating.

_Mmf. So bad, but so good._

With one free hand I stuffed my sneakers into my shoe locker, the other held a delicious, paste-filled bread. I just couldn't help myself since there was still more than enough time to stop by the convenience store before homeroom. I only wished I had a can of Max to drink with every delicious bite I took.

Of course, this earned me more than a few disgusted stares from my other fellow _diligent_ classmates getting themselves prepared for a studious day ahead.

I couldn't blame them since I was being awfully rude. Kaa-san would _flip_ and pull my ear if she saw me right now. But I was _that _hungry and what else could I do except ignore them? Like hell I was going to let this tasty bean paste on my fingers go to waste. Being noted with disapproval was already the norm for me anyway.

Other than hearing a few students cuss like sailors under their breaths, the walk towards homeroom was pretty uneventful. The same could be said for my entrance to the actual classroom. Nothing was too out of sort. Everyone was split into their usual groups and pairs, though _one_ group in particular was noticeably still away.

Well, that just meant a much quieter environment for sane people like me and Kawasaki up there in the front.

This is just the way I like it, no interruptions or any unnecessary stares at my physical being. It's quite wonderful to be deemed so utterly insignificant that you're practically invisible. Especially useful when leading the kind of double life that I—

"H-Hachiman!"

What?! Literally _who_ would know and freely use my name in this class?

It didn't take long for me to recognize the perpetrator. The caller was right beside me.

"Ah, Totsuka."

Said boy appeared startled for a second before shaking off his unease, giving me a 100-watt smile. It was quite sincere—even reaching up to his eyes which sparkled. His smaller facial features were practically glowing. Super radiant.

…Nope. Thankfully, this guy's, uh, _cute_ appearance still did nothing for me and I'd like to keep it that way. Though, I suppose being polite to him wouldn't hurt, if he's going to be one of the few to take note of my existence.

"So… good morning. Need something?" I asked him straight away.

Totsuka shook his head, chuckling at my words. How strange.

"Ah, good morning to you too, Hachiman. I'm just happy to see you're back! You were out sick all week, right?"

I nodded yes, surprised he noticed at all. That happy to see me back as well? Sure I helped him out as a part of the Service Club and we exchanged numbers over the summer, but our interactions were always pretty sparse.

He also doesn't really seem like the type to hold ulterior motives. Not like I had anything substantial to offer him anyway. All I could conclude was that Totsuka Saika's a nice guy.

"Thanks. Hope last week wasn't too troublesome," I said.

His smile faltered a bit at that. "Ah, well, troublesome isn't the first word I'd use to describe it. Things were more _tense_ around here."

I figured that was the case. "Really now? Hope you don't mind elaborating."

"Mhm sure. I don't like talking about it behind their backs but… everything involves Hayama-kun's and Yukinoshita-san's families," he whispered.

"Well, of course," I said, nodding at him. "The school hasn't taken the scandals quite nicely, huh?"

"Yeah. You must have heard people in the hallways talking about them, right? I don't know about you but I think it's terrible that they're both going through this kind of trouble," Totsuka said, looking disheartened.

"Y-Yeah. I did," I stuttered out in response.

Truth be told, I did hear more than a few of the slurs and other colorful words thrown around earlier mixed in with Hayama's and Yukinoshita's names. But their insults didn't quite register with me until Totsuka pointed them out just now.

Really, this isn't the kind of talk that I should be ignoring at the moment. Everything about them matters now and I have to get this through my head! I mean, just what do I expect to accomplish without having an ear to the ground? My focus _must_ be on the Yukinoshitas and anything others have to offer. I gave Batman and Alfred my word that I would keep tabs on at least one of them from now on.

It's only fair that this falls on me, y'know? None of this chaos would have erupted without my interference. My actions are the reason why they're calling Hayama a shitty _gaijin_ and Yukinoshita a malignant cun—

"Hachiman?"

"H-Hikki?!"

I heard two voices this time, both wrought with the utmost worry. Totsuka had a hand on my shoulder and I couldn't tell exactly when he began trying to soothe me.

I tapped him lightly on the forearm to get him to stop. Not that I didn't appreciate the gesture, but that part of me was still feeling the effects of whiplash from last night.

What really caught my eye was the person next to him: a short girl with a peachy-pink bun, looking at me like I was some sort of natural wonder. Oddly enough, the feeling was mutual—I couldn't help myself from examining her over twice.

This girl's sudden presence gave her the effect of a passing illusion. It was the strangest thing, because I could never imagine such a person ever fading away.

"Yuigahama…" I finally croaked out.

Woah. I truly wasn't immune to the wonderment of reunions. Seeing Yuigahama's gaze soften the second I uttered her name instilled a… sense of warmth within me.

Well, this effect didn't last long after she opened her mouth again.

"Hikki! You're finally back! It's, like, been sooo long, hehe! Sai-chan's here too! Yahallo!" she happily exclaimed, bringing us three more than a few glances from our classmates.

Ah Yuigahama Yui, as boisterous and _bouncy_ as ever. That bright smile of hers was quite infectious—if I were a normal guy, I'd feel compelled to reciprocate it back tenfold like Totsuka was doing.

Instead, she quickly earned my ire for drawing us all this attention. That's it. Reunion's over, you can go now—

"Yahallo, Yui-chan! Yeah I was surprised to see Hachiman was back too! I thought he would have given _you_ a heads up, at least." Totsuka replied.

Better response than mine, but why throw me under the bus, Totsuka?!

"Mou, that's right! Hikki, I called and texted you _all_ week and you never answered me back! What's up with that?!" she exclaimed, annoying me even further.

"Indoor voice, woman," I told her. "My bad, I guess. I was too sick to even get up for a while."

Well, that was my official excuse when, really, I just blocked her number after the third time she rang me up. Gotta remember to undo that before she finds out.

Thankfully she seemed to buy it and calmed down, tilting her upper body as if to look at me from a different angle.

She appeared contemplative, rubbing her chin. "Well okay then, sorry. So, you really were sick like Komachi-chan said…"

That threw me for a loop. "Komachi? What about her?" I asked.

Yuigahama hesitated to answer me but Totsuka excitedly stepped back into the conversation.

"Yui-chan was the one who delivered all your homework and class notes to your sister everyday! I hope you were able to keep up," he revealed.

Ah, that explains things. Not sure why 'Yui-chan' is getting all flustered about it though.

"S-Sai-chan!" she stuttered, pouting and tugging at Totsuka's dainty forearm.

To that he just pressed his hands together with a sly smile. Huh, didn't think I'd ever see that side of you, Totsuka. Would you be offended or happy if I said it's really like you're just being 'one of the guys'?

I also didn't think someone like Yuigahama had my back, making sure I received all the work I missed. Komachi didn't say anything, so I just assumed those packets were delivered by the school's higher ups or some lackeys.

Really, I should talk to Hiratsuka-sensei about this matter when I see her. It's kind of irresponsible to task Yuigahama or any other student with something like this. She would have had to wait after club hours to get to my house and then back to her own. With everything that's been happening, no one should be out that late anywhere in Chiba. Especially not for my sake.

In any case, however, I also can't deny that the most at fault was myself. My choices have affected the world and the people in it—I can't afford to take things easily. Once again, I've received affirmation that my decision to stay at home for a week was _stupid_.

I blinked once and finally spoke up. "If that was the case then there's no need for _you_ to react this way, Yuigahama."

She clasped her red cheeks together, looking back at me with a confused face. "Huh? I don't know what you mean by that?"

Hell. Why did I even say anything? Should have just said thanks and kept my shut.

"I mean to say this should be to _my_ embarrassment. I… regret putting you in a dangerous situation. Sorry."

There, I said it. For what purpose though?

Yuigahama , you don't have to look at me like I saved your dog or something. Seriously, stop that.

"Y-You're apologizing, Hikki? No, no! There's no need to worry—"

She was getting noisy again, so I cut her off. "No. No matter how you look at it, there's plenty to worry about walking in Chiba at night. Or so I've heard…"

Ha, more like 'I've seen it firsthand'.

"I _know _that, Hikki! I wasn't all alone, being 'reckful' and stuff, I swear! Sai-chan, back me up!" Yuigahama tugged at Totsuka's arm again.

"Ehehe, I think the correct word is 'reckless', Yui-chan," he said so with a sympathetic smile, before turning back to me. "But she's telling the truth, Hachiman, I was there with her every step of the way and back."

That's an improvement but, no offense to Totsuka, not exactly ideal. Though as if reading my mind, he stepped up again with more to say.

"And we were always with a group too! Either with Yui's friends or my teammates from the Tennis Club."

Really now? That's semi-interesting. I turned to Yuigahama for confirmation, still a little skeptical. "Was that really the case with your clique?"

"I don't like how you still call us that, but we _have_ been trying really hard to be together again," she said with a tiny smile, holding a wistful gaze at nothing in particular.

Ah, so your wish for all to get along again was granted. It was really none of business when Yuigahama's group had broken up due to Tobe naively confessing to Ebina-san. Of course, I had disagreed with Yukinoshita about taking and executing his request, but all of that was out of my hands when I was barred from going on the trip.

Well, it's more appropriate to say the matter was out of Hayama's and Miura's hands since they weren't allowed to go either and they actually cared.

"Yumiko and Tobecchi came up with the idea last Monday. I was a little nervous when our group chat finally popped up after so long, but now it's almost like we're back to normal," Yuigahama continued with her explanation.

Hmm, Miura breaking the ice for the safety of her friends makes sense, but why her and _Tobe_? After all, the key figure of that group is Sobu's ex-golden boy. It'd make more sense for him to unite everyone and arrange such a thing, unless…

"Hayama?" I uttered his name to Yuigahama in the form of a question.

She noticeably slumped at my inquiry. "Ah, Hayato-kun, he…"

She trailed off, not wanting to share the bad news.

"Hachiman, no one's heard from Hayama-kun ever since his… father was arrested. Even before that, he stopped coming to school," Totsuka answered in her stead.

"I see…"

Hiding? Normally someone like Hayama wouldn't make such a drastic decision, but even this would be too much for him to handle. That's to be expected. No doubt Yukinoshita's hiding at home for the same reason. Guess I wasn't the only one to _chicken out_ last week, but that didn't provide me any form of consolation.

Yuigahama's brows furrowed, her petite hands clenched together. Perhaps she took my silence as a note of disapproval.

"I know you two didn't get along, Hikki. But Hayato-kun is still a friend of my group. He's always been nice, and um, _upstanding_!"

Brilliant, correct wording for once, but I disagree entirely. I'd say he's a two-faced prick whose only hardship in life was to maintain his public facade. Until now, of course.

That said, he only did so for the sake of maintaining the status quo… and nothing else. Hayama Hayato was no criminal—unlike his locked up father. Yet, society will make him suffer all the same for the sins of Hayama Hanzo.

I can't believe I feel empathetic towards that boy scout too, of all people.

"My opinion of Hayama aside, I'm just surprised things have carried on as well without him," I offered to the conversation.

Especially when he was playing mediator to desperately reunite his clique. His solo efforts, before the scandals broke out, were quite blatant to the entirety of class 2F.

Who knew it would take his family's reputation to go down the gutter and the defunding of Chiba's underworld to get his group of friends back together?

Wow! You're welcome, Hayama—all the credit belongs to yours truly!

...

Tch… What a shit joke, Hachiman.

"Like I said Hikki, we've been trying hard. Tobecchi got manly for once, hehe, and took Hina-chan to the side. They, like, really talked things through and made up in the end. Then he came up with the 'BUDDYTALK SYSTEM'!" Yuigahama animatedly explained, as if her wacky arm movements gave me a better understanding.

So, Tobe put his hurt feelings aside and stepped up as a _de facto_ leader in Hayama's absence? Wow, what a true _upstanding_ young man. Also, what's with that butchered English, Yuigahama? Should you really be entrusted with using another language when you've yet to master your native tongue?

Unconvinced by this chick's gibberish, I turned to a sheepish looking Totsuka to clarify things for me.

"Ah, it works really well! We split into groups and pairs depending on the day. No matter what though, we call or text each other every time we get home or if, like, something's slowing us down on the way back."

"Keeping multiple tabs on each other on the way home? That's smart." Dunno about the name, though.

"Mhm! It's like I said Hikki. We've been safe all week, so don't feel bad about it or feel like you have to say sorry. Hehe, it's actually really weird when _you_ do it," Yuigahama ended with another giggle.

"You couldn't leave that last part out, huh? Nevermind you then," I responded. Consider this is the last time I'll ever regret anything involving you, Yuigahama.

You chuckle with Totsuka now like I made a funny joke, but I'm being totally serious here!

"Join us, Hachiman! I know you usually like doing things alone, but you'd be a huge help just by being there. More importantly, you'll be safer walking with us too!" Totsuka predictably offered, to which I had a planned response.

"Thanks for the offer, but—"

Yuigahama interrupted me, getting a bit too close to my face. "No 'buts', Hikki! Mou, you were making a big deal just now, thinking I was walking by myself last week. Well, you can't do that either! No expectations!"

The hell?

"You mean _exceptions_. Look, I have my bike today and it won't be the last time. So, really, we'd be slowing each other down if I had to walk it alongside you guys."

"No you wouldn't, Hachiman! Either way, it's still safer than being alone!" Totsuka jumped back in with sheer fervor. I know I said his looks had no effect on me, but even _I_ almost immediately agreed on the spot...

"Sai-chan is right, none of that matters! You're coming with us okay? So don't you make us corner you at the bike racks! Which is great, because that's where we meet up everyday _right_ after school anyway," Yuigahama pointed out, rather smugly.

What a cheeky girl. Right after school? So that means my assumption about Yukinoshita also hiding back home from school was correct, which means…

"As soon as classes end, huh? Good to know the higher ups had the sense to suspend club activities for the time being," I started.

"Huh?" Yuigahama said confusedly but I continued before letting her talk again.

"If I'm not even required to stay later than usual with you or _her_ in the Service Club anymore, then I'll be fine enough walking home on my own," I reasoned perfectly.

I'd be more than fine, really. No club is a load off my mind and frees up precious time.

"Um, actually—"

_*ring* *ring*_

Ah, the warning bell's right on time, meaning homeroom will be starting soon and we should all be in class by now.

Still, this prompted both Totsuka and Yuigahama to jump up like a couple of pups. They turned to each other, clearly wanting to get a few matters said and settled before sitting down.

While they were occupied, I looked to the front of the room and found it weird that Hiratsuka-sensei had yet to appear.

Why's that? It's unfair of you to message me last night with such ferocity over my attendance and then not arrive in a timely manner yourself. What, last night's round of smokes and drinks left you feeling jaded this morning?

Oh… think of the devil and she shall appear. Sensei was in her usual attire but looking a little worse for wear. Her unusually long hair was frizzy in some parts and there were dark circles under her eyes. Her lab coat and inner vest was a wrinkled mess.

Really, her entire disposition read like 'I'm going to kill anyone who gives me trouble today' and I felt intrigued as to why.

Yuigahama and Totsuka were still talking amongst themselves, their phones taken out for some purpose. The bell interrupted whatever Yuigahama was going to say to me, but it didn't seem like it mattered. From what I heard, they're still dead set on including me as a part of their 'walk home together' group.

It ticked me off that, despite my refusals, they were actively passing my number and email to someone else involved in this stupidly named 'BUDDYTALK SYSTEM'.

Suddenly remembering something, I searched my bag and took out a cheap, disposable folder filled with a number of documents.

Sometimes appeasing riajuu like these two can't be helped, so I made the decision to leave them by my desk and walk over to sensei herself for the time being.

Yuigahama noticed and called for me in confusion but that didn't stop me. I gave her a small wave with my one free hand and strode across the classroom with ease. I paused right beside Hiratsuka-sensei's desk and observed her hurriedly marking a couple of forms.

…

Amazing—I've been standing right beside sensei for a good ten seconds and she has _yet_ to notice my presence. Should I feel proud or hurt? Not even waving a hand at her seems to help.

"_I know you're there. What in the world do you want, kid_—H-Hikigaya!" Hiratsuka-sensei yelped at the end when she finally looked up at me.

Her eyes widened and became positively livelier. Yeah, I'm the real deal, teach, not some phantom.

"Yo, morning sensei. My bad, I just wanted to, uh… " I trailed off, losing my train of thought.

Truthfully, I'm not sure anymore why I came up to her like this. More intel? Maybe she knows some other stuff besides what Yuigahama and Totsuka do, but I can't say that was the exact reason. Something to do with this folder that I grabbed from my bag before walking here…

_Right_.Let's hand this crap in.

Still, she spoke before I did anything else. "Ah, Hikigaya, no. Don't be sorry, I'm really happy to see you're back!"

Good for you.

"Yeah, well, you didn't give me much of a choice. But, I admit it was really irresponsible of me to… take a whole week off of school. Of course, I can't promise it won't happen again," I whispered the last two points.

Well, there you go. She's the first, and probably last, person I've _willingly_ let in on the truth about my prolonged 'illness'.

Her immediate reaction was quite lackluster. I expected to be verbally beaten down or having to dodge one of her punches. But rather than unleashing a 'Final Bullet', Hiratsuka-sensei tilted her head, offering me nothing but a dry look.

"Hikigaya… I'm an adult—a _young_ adult, mind you—who watches the news on a daily basis. Every morning special for the past week constantly let me know you weren't ever actually bedridden with the flu," she pointed out sardonically.

"Oh… that's right." the consequences of being a hotshot were lost on me until now.

_Goddamn it_.

Hiratsuka-sensei smirked at my lame response and didn't seem like she'd show me any mercy.

"Also, admitting your truancy to your sensei isn't the smartest move, y'know? Not everyone is as understanding as I am."

"…"

I couldn't stop my embarrassment from showing up on my face. She chuckled as I scratched my neck, thinking I should probably get back to my seat and forget this ever happened. Why I mentioned any of that in the first place is beyond me.

"Well, that being said," Hiratsuka-sensei spoke up, eyeing me once more, "I can't say that I don't appreciate your sincere honesty. Thank you for giving me that."

Ah, she really meant that and expected me to reciprocate. However, I failed to keep up with the eye contact and looked away from her before responding.

"...Don't thank me. What's there to be grateful about being entrusted with a lie?"

She shook her head, but that smile of hers never left her voice. "Hmph, I see you're still as _endearing_ as ever. Only you would equate this kind favor to simple lying. What's with the negativity this early in the morning?"

"I'm just saying the truth, sensei. Also, there's just no point in giving one the runaround when they already know more than they should. That's all," I explained with a bit more confidence.

Now that got her a bit agitated. "Whatever, brat. Got anything else for me? Like, say, all the work you missed and probably couldn't finish—"

Chest surging with pride, I quickly handed over the folder in my posession. "Here's everything due since last Monday. Like I said in my message, sensei, I had it covered all along."

Skeptical, she opened the folder and sifted through each assignment with ease. Her incredulous reaction was more satisfying than I thought it'd be.

"...Seriously? All the homework, class work, and even the _optional_ essay due this Wednesday?! What the hell are you?!" Hiratsuka stared at me like I was some sort of unexplained phenomenon.

Ha. Sorry to destroy your image of me as some little kid who can't manage time between work and _work_. Also, you mind loosening that death grip you have over my papers? I have just those copies on me for today and today only. Like hell my old man's going to let me use up more of his ink and paper all in one go again, without some kind of reimbursement.

Instead of saying all of that, I strangely chose to say something that can be construed as, in my opinion, a 'cool-guy' line.

"I may not look the part, but I'm a man of my word," I said, cringing internally at the end.

_Gah_! Quit being a fool already.

Well, it's not like I said anything that's overly exaggerated. It's mostly true, especially when it's convenient for me to act like a person who has his things in order. I just hope this showing is enough for Hiratsuka-sensei to get off my back.

"On the other hand Sensei you, uh, look like you've seen better days."

Smooth—you got her to clench a fist.

"_Thank you_, for that. That's _exactly _what I wanted to hear this morning," Hiratsuka-sensei said sarcastically.

A nasty thought suddenly occurred to me and I quickly asked her another question.

"You weren't out last night, were you? If you're really watching the news, you should know it's not the best time to be out drinking—"

She interrupted me, waving dismissively. "Yeah, yeah it was my fault. I had a guest coming over late and I needed to buy some last minute booze to share. I went to a convenience store around the corner of my apartment building, that's all."

Hmph, how stupid.

"Oh, drinking with a guest? Well, _good_ to know you had an appropriate reason," I said, upping the sarcasm.

Inexplicably, I felt this oozing bit of disgusting muck form in the pit of my stomach. I shut my mouth before it came out in a form I couldn't take back. Doing so only served to make my nerves shudder even worse. My hands clenched into fists as this vibe of disgust and… anger washed over me.

"...Yeah, well, even _I_ can't down a bottle all to myself on a school night." Hiratsuka-sensei said nonchalantly, though her brows were furrowed and she gave me a pointed look.

I guess she expected something else from me but I had nothing else to offer. Neither of us really knew what to say after, I felt. I certainly didn't feel like delving into the subject.

Hiratsuka-sensei turned away and fished for something inside her purse. She dug out a dark colored ornament and used it to tie her long hair during our silence. I observed her pulling it off in one swift, practiced motion. Her black scrunchie practically vanished, like a new moon against the midnight sky.

She tiredly straightened her ponytail with her fingers, looking _much _neater than before. But all I could think of was how we were both exhausted for entirely different reasons. Hers left a bad taste in my mouth, so I simply stopped thinking about it. I even looked away before I was to be accused of ogling.

Once she was finished, Hiratsuka-sensei didn't look straight at me either. She smiled at something past me instead.

"Well, that's all for now, Hikigaya. Take your seat, class will be starting in a few minutes… and I think you left your _cute friend_ hanging back."

I followed her line of sight to see that Totsuka was no longer where I left him and had actually gone back to his seat, talking with his neighbors.

Not sure what you mean sensei, _only_ Yuigahama was hanging back by my desk and she's also not my friend.

Heh.

Honestly though, has Yuigahama been waiting there, pouting like a lost puppy this entire time? She really shouldn't have since the rest of these trash-talking _neanderthals_ will get the wrong idea.

Besides that, I felt this strong, imposing aura coming from the back of the room. I looked over and wasn't all that surprised to see Miura scowling at me to do something about _her_ friend.

When did you and your clique get here anyway? Shouldn't people in Tobe's dumb 'BUDDYTALK SYSTEM' do something about this instead?

What a pain in the ass.

Meeting Yuigahama's gaze only prompted her to bounce in place again, causing the guys around her to visibly drool.

"Good grief," I whispered to myself, wiping the corner of my lips with my handkerchief.

Reluctantly, I moved to address the girl but paused at Hiratsuka-sensei whispering to me.

"Hikigaya, I meant what I said last night."

I glanced back at the woman, annoyed at her vagueness.

"Be specific," I said to her.

She scowled, tilting her head in confusion but pressed on after a second. "In my messages. Homework aside, we have to talk about your _extracurricular _activities. Unfortunately, I don't have time during lunch or even immediately after school today, but we have to sit down—"

"Just let me know when you aren't _busy_ with anything else, Hiratsuka-sensei," I tersely interrupted her.

That was honestly more harsh than I intended. She grunted at that but I didn't turn back to gauge her full reaction. Fortunately, it didn't seem like anyone eavesdropped on our conversation or even eyed us like Yuigahama had.

Well, there _was_ Kawasaki who appeared to be in a foul mood as I passed by her. We must have disturbed her precious silence. I don't think she's the type to expect a 'sorry' from me like the Queen Bee in the back would, but it didn't matter. I wasn't in a conciliatory mood either.

Now, to get rid of this so-called _cute_ airhead.

"Class is starting, Yuigahama. I was just notifying Hiratsuka-sensei of my presence and handing in my work. Miura's waiting for you, so shoo," I demanded, waving her away as I sat down.

She wasn't amused. "S-So mean! And I already knew what you were doing, dummy."

Then you've lost me. "What is it then?"

Yuigahama took a deep breath, signaling she had something particularly important to reveal. Or at least something _she _thought warranted a dramatic pause, which wasn't much when it came to this girl.

"I... just wanted to let you know that club activities are still going on," she said.

...Well alright, she got me there. Damn it all. This correction of hers ruined _everything_ I had planned to do at the Den later.

"Should they be? Kind of stupid to continue clubs _now_, especially those whose members are down to only two people like you and me," I pointed out, knowing I came off agitated.

I saw her flinch back a bit but I didn't care all that much initially. As she thought to herself, I did so as well and figured there were other, _older_ people in this building who were more deserving of wrath and scrutiny than the powerless girl in front of me.

Just what in the hell are the higher ups of this school thinking to keep things running as they are? I can understand only hiring one other guard due to budget constraints, but why encourage students to continue to stay later in the afternoon?

Something's not adding up… and how was Yuigahama still operating the Service Club by herself all this time? That's just… not possible. Actually, it feels I've made more than a couple of assumptions that are turning out to be completely wrong.

Furthering my confusion, Yuigahama took on a reserved, demure demeanor. Her head was bowed down as she looked at her clasped fingers. Seeing her actually fidgeting was enough to make me feel just a _tad_ bit guilty.

She whispered just loudly enough for me to hear. "I see. So I guess you, like, probably weren't going to come to the club at all if I didn't tell you anything…"

"Well, that's been the norm for a while now hasn't it been?" I asked rhetorically.

"Yeah, but I never liked that before!" she exclaimed, shaking her head. "Actually, we have no requests right now, so…"

Right, Isshiki's request was the last and that fell through miserably.

I sighed. "...I suppose it's only fair if I attend again. To make up for, uh, snapping just now and for the trouble I caused you last week. Then you and I will be even."

Yuigahama paused just before giving me a strange, hopeful smile. "Ah, well, then I want to be fair to you too, Hikki."

"What, this means I can walk home alone?" I asked with the tiniest sliver of hope I had left, only to have it crushed into pieces when she shook her head.

"Nope. It's actually, um… maybe you guessed wrong before, but… Yukinon has _still_ been coming to school too, Hikki. Service Club too."

No way.

"...You're joking, right? I mean, that would be kinda stupid," I replied, actually hoping she was just trying to mess with me.

To think that Yukinoshita was actually attending instead of taking the easy route like Hayama…

Who am I kidding? That kind of misplaced, useless stubbornness is _exactly_ what I should have expected from that ice woman. The kind that shines through even during the worst of times. How insane.

"No, _I'm not joking Hikki_," Yuigahama responded sharply, towering proudly over me like some kind of mother… _wolf_. Ah, I definitely crossed the line there with my tone and choice of words. Talk about a complete mood switch.

"I wouldn't joke about Yukinon at all. Not now and not _ever_, Hikki."

Point taken.

"...I see."

"Yeah, so you can choose whether to come to the club or not. Just letting you know for later, _okay_?"

Yuigahama left it at that and finally turned away, upset as can be, tersely walking towards her seat.

If there ever was a time that I could genuinely say Yuigahama Yui left an impression on me, it would probably be this very moment.

Well, let me clarify by saying that I wasn't intimidated, nor did I feel slighted by her attitude. Rather, I was impressed to have learned firsthand that Yuigahama Yui had ceased to be a total nice girl. Don't get me wrong—that core remained intact, but things have definitely shifted and for good reason.

What it took was a week of society bogging down her dearest friend. Instead of conforming to mob rule, Yuigahama chose to close that chapter of her life, where she naively believed everyone could be friends. She made the decision to defend her one, true friend instead. And, funnily enough, realizing this relieved a bit of the guilt I felt from scaring her earlier.

Sooner rather than later, if Yuigahama continued to stay by her side, Yukinoshita wouldn't be the only most hated girl in all of Sobu. However, I couldn't help but imagine that Yuigahama would uphold second place like a badge of honor.

* * *

It was a fact that, during lunchtime, not all of us had the luxury of eating from pre-made bentos. In Yuigahama's case, I noted she was blessed with _two_ such things in her hands as she left the classroom at the beginning of the period.

The only reason I saw that was because she made it a point to noisily pass by my desk on her way out. I must not have reacted the way she wanted me to though, since she left with a pout after glancing at me.

Dunno what the problem was—all I did was look up at her with my cheeks stuffed, _hamster-style_, with delicious melon bread.

Was she expecting me to be curious or give her an emotional reaction as to where she was going? If so, she wasted her time since it was obvious she was meeting with Yukinoshita and I really felt nothing about that. It wasn't any of my business who she ate with.

I had other priorities to think over…

A can of MAX sounded great right about now, but that would mean getting up and cutting into free time that could be used to sleep on my desk. Not talking about the kind of "sleep" that loners try to pull off to blend in with the background. I mean having an actual, genuine _siesta_ that I hardly get enough of these days. How much is it that I get to sleep on weekdays, like five non-consecutive hours _max_? Terrible, just terrible.

Forgoing the coffee milk, I slip on my ear buds to hear some relaxing, lo-fi hip hop beats and lean my head into the comfort of my forearms. It only took me, like, five seconds to find the right angle for my head to be comfortably tilted. My phone's volume was adjusted perfectly to drown out the chatter of the classroom, but not so loud that my ears were getting blasted by the music.

All I had to do was maintain this position for another thirty seconds and I'd enter dreamland for the remaining twenty minutes of the period.

Of course, some fifteen seconds later, my right foot gets tapped and my internal clock is reset.

Now I'd have easily dismissed this disturbance as an accident caused by the jerk who sat in front of me all day, but then it happened again.

Then a third time. Then a fourth time.

By the fifth tap, I wished nothing but a special place in hell for this cheeky, four-eyed bastard. I rose up from my position, readily equipped with a glare on my face.

However, instead of meeting Poindexter, I was met with deep pools of green, adorned with long, curly lashes. The hell? Was I having a dream of spring? No, that's not it. This was a face, one that was way too close for comfort, twisted into a deep scowl.

Huh, I was being harshly judged and yet, this visage provided my inner core with a sense of familiarity for some odd reason.

…_Kaa-san_?

"Hikio."

At that, somehow I managed not to jump back in my seat and blinked a couple of times instead. Thankfully, I also had enough sense to not speak out and audibly refer to this girl as my _freakin' mother_.

Miura Yumiko was right in front of me. How surprising. No seriously, I almost thought I was having a stupid, unwanted hormonal dream.

From the corner of my eye, I saw my four-eyes neighbor, Glasses-san, leaving the classroom in a huff. It didn't take a genius to deduce that the school's Queen Bee told that pleb to buzz off (ha) and give up his seat for her. Just bad luck for us both that it was for the purpose of disturbing my siesta.

I took off my earbuds and politely addressed her.

"_What_?"

Well, as polite as I could manage in my interrupted-sleep status.

"Hmph, that's it?" She said rather loudly, clearly unimpressed.

As if she couldn't sour my mood even further, blondie had the nerve to expect me to say more than that. Really, the women of Sobu are a strange, stubborn, annoying breed.

Though what's even more strange, despite Miura being loud and away from her usual throne, no one else in the class was staring our way.

You'd think she'd have a far easier time catching everyone's eye than Yuigahama and Totsuka did earlier. Her popularity was seldom contested by anyone, even by the third year girls, after all.

I suppose she had a couple of amendments made to her monarchy upon reestablishing it the week I was gone. One of them might have forbidden anyone from prying into her affairs and they were all scared enough to comply.

Well done Miura, but your subjects could use some better acting skills. I mean, them looking _anywhere_ else besides our direction only makes it all the more obvious, y'know?

Some of these clowns are looking at the stupid walls…

Huh, the stooges of your clique don't seem to mind one of their de facto leaders is sitting by me. One of them, Tobe, was awkwardly trying to talk with Ebina-san.

Ah, what a hopeless idiot, can't you see _Hina_-san's more interested in waving at _me_ with an apologetic smile? Be glad I wasn't interested in reciprocating her greeting, _Tobe-_san. I bet you're the kind of idiot who'd think something was going on between us if I did.

"So, you're back," Miura continued after I stayed silent. "Didn't think you were the type to leave for, like, a whole week."

Miura leaned back against the wall, examining her manicured nails as she awaited my response. Really? To her, I appeared to be the type of person to diligently attend wherever I'm mandated, like school?

Forgive me for being skeptical, Miura, but that's a crock of shit. I wasn't born yesterday, you're definitely fishing for something else.

So, like her, I chose to lie. "I got sick last Monday. It was a big deal, so I stayed home."

"Sick huh?" Miura said, tilting her head as she eyed me directly.

To that I simply wore my usual poker face and refused to let up for even a moment. A few seconds later, she faltered and I took that opportunity to jump in with a question of my own.

"Why is it any of your business?" I asked, lifting a brow at her.

Miura looked away from me, peering down at her own crossed, pale legs. Surprisingly, she wasn't put off by the way I worded that. Rather, she looked lost in thought, perhaps contemplating whether or not to tell me the truth of her sudden inquiry.

"I kinda had a feeling you were finally gone… because of what happened last month," she finally worded out.

"A lot happened last month," I responded, a bit curious at what Miura was going on about.

She was bewildered, to say the least. "Are you serious?! Idiot, of course I'm talking about when everyone was in Kyoto and we were attacked again by that psycho bitch."

That felt like _ages_ ago.

"What of it? We survived—"

"_You got shot_," Miura whispered sharply at me, gauging my face for a reaction

It got me to shut up for a bit, but I didn't let up any sign of shock.

I appreciated her discretion, since I didn't need the class, much less the school, to become aware or remember that specific detail. I'd rather them mindlessly gossip about how I carried an unconscious Hiratsuka-sensei to the infirmary, like I was some kind of pervert taking advantage of the chaos.

Also, you really don't have to remind me that Lady Comedy landed a hit on me with her gun. There's a mangled scar on the side of my arm that fulfills the memory everyday.

"What of it? I got grazed in the arm and you think I finally snapped or something last week?" I asked her, still wondering why any of this would be her business.

Bingo. She squinted at me, crossing her arms defensively. "It's harsh when you put it that way. Like, why make the effort in sounding like that?"

I scoffed at that. "Nothing wrong with being blunt. Better than beating around the bush."

Like what you were doing, for example.

"...I don't know what would be worse. You, putting on a dumb, brave face or that you're _actually_ okay after everything," Miura confessed, leaning her head on her palm.

"The scenario where I'd need to see a shrink, that for sure would be worse," I followed up.

She sighed at my response. "Nothing wrong with that, Hikio. I'm, like… still not over it what that _bitch_ pulled off."

…There's that colorful insult again.

I stayed silent in order for Miura to get her issues out of her system. She hesitated for a moment—my reluctance to hear her out was very apparent in my exhausted, resting _bitch _face. But I knew she'd stay and force it out, to finally vent to one of the only people who was with her on the day of the second attack.

Clearing her throat, she began her spiel. "I've been running everyday and training at a dojo for self-defense stuff, even before that day. I hate how sweaty and gross I get all the time now, but I know it's for the better."

I nodded in understanding, recalling the night I ran into Miura during one of my patrols. I mean I did most of the work against those lowly thugs that harassed her, but she did better than most chicks would in her position. She had a respectable goal in mind and applied her training without hesitation when it called for it.

After thinking this, I noted the changes Miura attained for her body through supposedly hard work. Her newfound athleticism made her leaner but also fitted with toned, healthy-looking muscles that kind of showcased through her uniform. Her arms, for example, didn't look uselessly twiggy as they once were.

She's also maintained an upright, healthy posture the entire time we were talking. Those legs of hers didn't look like they were just for show either. Glancing them over in a new perspective, I could tell Miura built up an _impressive_ set of runner's legs. Great looking quadriceps and calves for someone our age—she seriously must have been at it for months…

Yeah, let's refocus again: this issue was a matter of pride.

"So when Lady Comedy attacked us, your hard work betrayed your expectations," I stated.

"That's… That's right. Hiratsuka-sensei, Hayato, and I had to be saved by you in the end," Miura sighed again, looking dejected. "She was totally a head shorter than me too but I still couldn't do anything."

Height isn't everything you know…

"Well, my bad for upstaging you?" I offered, much to her chagrin. "...It was a joke."

Miura rolled her eyes at that, choosing to stay quiet again but _still_ not getting up to leave me alone.

Fine, fine.

I sat upright as well, cracking my neck on both sides before taking another stab at this unwanted conversation.

"So... you were thinking that, if I had succumbed to PTSD or something else after being shot at, the rest of Sobu's shit out of luck?" I asked her, unable to resist a smirk creeping up on my face.

She did lighten up a bit, at least. "Don't flatter yourself, Hikio. I was just using you as a, um, what do they call it? …A _point of reference_?"

That implies exactly what I just said, woman.

"Well, I'm not troubled and you should probably keep training despite what happened with Lady Comedy," I advised her. "I still don't get why you had to make sure I was alright in the head or why you wanted my input on your time in the dojo though."

In fact, I still feel like I'd be the last person you'd consult. Why not ask _Huntsman_ the next time you see him? Not like that would ever happen, since a girl like you should definitely heed to the mandatory curfew.

"Hmph, you really don't?" Miura asked me, albeit twirling her locks and looking away from my stare.

There was that familiar inkling in my gut that told me not to take her apparent nervousness at face value. Miura was obviously suspicious but I had nothing to go off to determine what exactly she was hiding from me.

The alternative explanation for her behavior that flashed in my mind for a second was nigh impossible.

"Nope," I said flatly.

"Well, th-that's good." Miura responded, her voice slightly high-pitched." Right now I can, like, only tell you that a few ideas have been floating around in my head for a while now."

"Stuff involving me? Never thought I'd ever be relied on," I said, feigning arrogance.

Miura didn't seem to catch that and gave me a dry look. "...Don't ruin a girl's fun. Just keep an open mind the next time I come to you about something, alright?"

You can try to disarm me with those eyes of yours all you want, but I know better than to think I have a choice. Miura, you're the type to run roughshod on anyone who gets in your way. No amount of humble pie could destroy that unfortunate side of yours, freakin' Fire Queen.

Seriously, what's with the women in this class resolving to be both loud and demanding? Take a leaf out of Kawasaki's notebook for once and shove it.

"That reminds me. Yui made you a part of our walk-home group now, huh?" Miura asked.

"You mean the one with the stupid name?" I quipped, no hesitation on my part.

"_Shut up_, Hikio. Like, who cares what it's called?" Miura asked rhetorically, her cheeks tinted red.

Oops, must have hit a nerve. Funny, you don't seem to be thrilled about the butchered English name either. I _knew_ I wasn't the one with the problem. Heh. Perhaps she could see reason and lend me a hand.

"Hey Miura… I told Yuigahama no but she's not listening. Overrule her or something," I asked, waving it all off.

"Hah?" Miura voiced, her scowl etched like never before. "Like hell I will, idiot. You're coming with us, because I'm tired of being the only one taking this seriously."

And I will help you elevate things?

"What do you mean? You have Tobe, Ooka, and Yamato to help ward off creeps. You don't need me there," I pointed out.

Funnily enough, a part of me was satisfied that she didn't defer to the 'you'll be safer too' argument like Yuigahama and Totsuka did.

She let out a _healthy_ snort. "Sure, those goofballs are loud guys, but that's all there is to them. I want someone to actually help me watch our backs instead of just talking with each other like a bunch of old hags."

What, so because I saved your ass, now I have to pay the price of being relied on? Sounds like a crap deal and I wanted nothing more but off this ride before it even began. Let some other schmuck take the position.

"How about you go wrangle your precious Hayama out of his house instead of—"

Miura tightly grabbed onto my sleeve, cutting off my suggestion. I looked at her in surprise, seeing her shake her head to and fro, her eyes finally looking at me with anger. She was basically giving off the same harsh vibe that Yuigahama did earlier. As if to say I was treading on ground in a manner that she wouldn't tolerate.

How touching. It seems that Hayama and Yukinoshita will always have at least one good person stand firmly by their side.

Miura's grip on me loosened and she let go a second later, satisfied after making her point. Yeah, she definitely would have tried to slap me if it weren't for the fact that I took a shot for her once. That didn't mean I could speak freely about the guy she's most likely still fond over.

She was giving me a pass and I took it, pivoting back to what I really wanted.

"My bad. Forgive me for... stepping there. Look, Miura, just count me out alright?"

Miura's expression had softened at my plea but she decisively turned her attention towards her phone. Her fingers tapped away as fast as lightning. She smirked to herself when it quickly dinged back more than a few responses. Ah, as expected of Sobu's top socialite…

"Yui gave me your number earlier to send out to the group—which I did just now," Miura said so matter of factly, waving her phone at me. "Not gonna let you back out after that, Hikio. Bike racks after club hours. Be there."

Oh, screw _that_.

"I said it was _my bad_. Also, message blocking exists and nothing is stopping me from just leaving by myself," I said, directly challenging her.

"Hmm? I'll just, like, tell your parents one of these days if you do that," Miura said without a care in the world.

"...What is this, primary school? You don't even know—"

"Then I'll go to Hiratsuka-sensei too and see if she has anything to say about it."

_What the hell_?

"You're _that_ determined to make sure I come along?" I whispered sharply at her. "Why not take a step back and see how this looks?"

Miura threw a glance at the room, scaring away more than a few curious plebs. A few comically gasped at being discovered, bowing their heads down. One pair even left the freakin' room…

At this, she rolled her eyes dismissively, following up with a grandiose flip of her long, golden hair.

What's with that smug smile? Happy that you command that much respect? Really, no teenage girl should have all that power…

"Like I care how it looks, Hikio. It'd be easier to just go along with us than to be nagged and nagged, or am I wrong? I kinda doubt I am." Miura derisively mocked me.

She wasn't wrong, not in the slightest and that pissed me off. This was it, I had no defense against being overruled by either party. Hiratsuka-sensei already wanted to "talk more" about my nightly patrols, so refusing to compromise during the day would be a bad show.

And Kaa-san?

She'd definitely nag endlessly at me for reneging on my promise to come home as safely as possible. I didn't need or want her oversight of me to increase exponentially because of this.

'_I'll just, like, tell your parents_'.

Tch, to think that childish tactic still holds up well, years later…

"Damn you…" I glared at her with my voice hopelessly trailing off, her returning with a light snicker.

As I should have expected, the fire queen got her way without any consideration for the other parties.

Miura got up after she got what she came for, throwing me another cheeky smile before walking away. She strode across the classroom with unprecedented confidence, looking quite satisfied with herself and leaving me unbearably frustrated.

There was a strange vibration going on in my pants as I watched her walk away, swaying left and right...

Ah, it was my phone all along. Yep, that was it.

I unlocked the damn thing and opened a new message, only to find a tragic jumble of the Japanese language.

"_YOOO HIKITANI-BRO! i finally got ur deets! LOL. Welcome 2 BTS! o7_

_-Ur boy Tobe K"_

Looking up, I saw the orange-haired perpetrator giving me a stupid grin and two thumbs up.

'Goofball' was too kind of a word to describe this guy and now he had a way of contacting me anytime he wanted with his… nonsense. I had half a mind to walk over to him and shove both his thumbs up where the sun don't shine—

*_ring_* *_ring_*

_Nooo. Goddamn warning bell_.

I checked my watch to see fifteen minutes had passed. My other classmates, including Yuigahama, and the next sensei trickled into the room.

Unfortunately, there'd be no opportunities for me to sleep until much, much later.

Kill me now.

* * *

Lessons had passed without much trouble… other than the agonizing pain of trying to stay awake. And now it was finally time for the Service Club. Yippee.

I felt both Hiratsuka-sensei and Yuigahama look in my direction as I walked out of the room, trying my best to ignore them. I knew sensei had stuff to take care of, but it was surprising that Yuigahama didn't start jamming her things in her bag to bolt after me like usual. I suppose she was still miffed about the end of our conversation from earlier?

Soon enough, I reached the crossroads: the wall where I always waited for Yuigahama and the stairs that would lead me to the school's shoe lockers and exit.

It occurred to me that I could just ready myself up and ditch the club altogether instead of making my way towards it.

No matter what Hiratsuka-sensei or Yuigahama thought, to me the benefits of leaving outweighed the costs. Why go anyway if the latter wasn't even hurrying along to make sure I was attending?

Of course, there was a major reason holding me back. I recalled the conversation (lecture?) I had with Batman two days ago about keeping certain connections maintained for a greater purpose.

Whether I agreed with it or not, just routinely being in the same room as Yukinoshita would keep a channel open to Haruno-san, the new head of Yukinoshita Constructions. More significantly, Yukinoshita Yukari's current primary adversary.

On top of that, there was the matter of proving to Alfred and to myself that I had no emotional stake in this case. Continuing to ditch the club would falsely indicate that the opposite was true. The earlier the better. I'm determined to erase all doubts.

There was also the fact that Yuigahama and Totsuka brought me my homework during all of last week. Perhaps it didn't hold much as weight as the other two factors, but there still existed within me a sense of obligation to Yuigahama's part of the action.

With all this considered, it was a no-brainer. I moved away from the middle of the hall and leaned against my favorite waiting spot on the wall. Not ten seconds later, I heard a familiar pair of footsteps make their way towards my direction and braced myself for the usual backpack _bop_ to my side.

Surprisingly, however, the light footsteps came and went with no assault made on my person. No angry pout or dumb question made about why I didn't wait for her in the classroom. In fact, Yuigahama had chosen to walk past by me without even so much as a glance back.

My initial surprise quickly soured to annoyance as I was forced to catch up with the girl.

"Oi, Yuigahama," I called out to her, still not receiving a reply. She did, at least, slow down a bit and I was quickly able to match my pace with hers.

Up close, Yuigahama was clearly playing with her thoughts. Really, what's with this chick? For once, she didn't say anything as we made our way to the usual storage room. Well, she still couldn't help but throw a few glances my way, each time followed by a couple of strange grunts.

Her pace slowed down once we reached the suspended hallway leading to the special building. I matched her footsteps, taking a glance outside where grey clouds reigned above. Our school banners swayed heavily against the wind, indicating the weather was undoubtedly chiller now than it was this morning.

"I saw you," Yuigahama piped up. "You were thinking about leaving. Right, Hikki?"

Huh, didn't think I'd be caught red-handed. Well, since that was the case and I had no reason or room to lie, I told the truth.

"Yeah, that's right."

Simple as that… or so I thought.

Hmph, denying it would have been stupid and earned me further scorn from you, Yuigahama. Not to say I expected praise and smiles for being honest but _she_ brought this up. Now she was silent and kept her distance, making the air around us needlessly awkward.

Nonetheless, our walk continued until we reached a certain point within the special building and she blocked me from walking further.

Was this it? If Yuigahama was going to tell me to leave, then I seriously wish she had done so about a hundred paces ago. So much for making me a part of the stupid 'BUDDYTALK SYSTEM' if all it took to piss her off was me thinking that Yukinoshita probably shouldn't be attending school at the moment—

"I-I love this club!"

…Again and again, I keep forgetting how excitable Yuigahama was by nature and never auto-adjusted her own volume levels. Way to croak that out, Yuigahama.

What was with her saying this exact line once again? It's a rule of thumb that repeating your words only decreases the weight they initially held. Going by that logic, was I right to assume Yuigahama was starting to feel the opposite of her words? I'd find _that _somewhat intriguing, given how she's always been a far more active member of the club than myself.

If Yuigahama was having doubts about the club now, it was doomed.

"I know, you've told me that before already," I pointed this out to her in mild confusion.

She nodded eagerly at me, her bun bobbing along. Her enthusiasm was so infectious I almost skipped in place. Hmph, was I wrong?

"Last week, I really, really missed it the entire time. Like lots. I mean, I didn't mind being there for Yukinon since she needed me and all. She got a little bit better on Friday, but even then it didn't feel like our club at all."

So Yukinoshita's become depressed, but that didn't change the fact that the Service Club was open for business anyway. "There was nothing to miss, except people actually coming to you two with their problems."

And you can expect the amount of requests we get, from now on, to stay at zero. That works for me.

"I'm trying to say how… Service Club includes you too, Hikki. It just totally didn't feel the _same_ the entire time, y'know?" Yuigahama said earnestly, looking up at me with a sad smile.

I sighed at this, mostly disappointed that my heart actually skipped at her inane statement.

Could I be blamed though? Seeing Yuigahama share a selfish desire that involved my presence wasn't something that I counted on. Where was the girl from earlier who coldly passed by me in the hallway? That version of her was preferable to the one here trying to create a sentimental moment with me...

In my opinion, however, Yuigahama jumped the gun and skipped one crucial step—that is, actually having formed a bond with the other party, me, in the first place. You can't build upon something without proper foundation, woman.

"Maybe I got mad this morning and when you were thinking about ditching us today. But now I'm really happy you're staying with us!" Yuigahama reiterated, tapping my shoulder once.

Ouch.

Tch. Yuigahama trying her best to convince me that we were always close only proved my point even further. She probably sensed this was… ineffectual but wanted to give it another shot. Too bad for her, I had more than enough of her attempts.

"I don't know what you want me to say to that," I finally voiced out. I went back past the girl, ushering her to move alongside me. "Let's go, we've walked the wrong way while you rambled."

Indeed we did. Her fault for distracting me like that and she appeared taken aback. Gathering her bearings, Yuigahama whispered thanks and followed through, quietly moving with me again towards the club room. Unfortunately, this silence lasted for only a few moments before she had another outburst.

"That's it?!"

Oh, for the love of—here we go.

"I said something, like, _super_ embarrassing and you're leaving it at that?!" she yelped out loud.

Yeah, it seems that way and I refuse to feel any guilt. "No one asked you to do that in the first place..."

"So? It's still not fair! You say something nice to me too, Hikki!" she tugged at my shoulder, her voice still shrill as can be.

Definitely not nice. More like selfish.

Annoyed, I swatted her hands away. "Got nothing in mind. So leave me be."

"You're always so _grouchy_. Couldn't the doctor cure that side of you?"

Ha, you've got a mean streak too. Don't stick out your tongue at me...

"Being annoyed isn't an illness. Though, taking another week off just to improve my mood sounds good."

I smirked. Quite pleased with myself and didn't bother to hide it, annoying Yuigahama even further. Well done.

"Grr. You'd like that wouldn't you? Ditching us, for real this time!" She cried loudly once more.

Right. _This_ time. Yuigahama repeatedly play-punched my arm, invading my personal space again as if this was normal between us. It didn't seem like she was going to stop anytime soon and it was really starting to hurt.

Unfortunately, she backed off before I could land a corrective karate chop to her head, giggling hard to herself.

"What's so funny?" I dared to ask.

She tried waving me off but I kept looking at her to give me an answer.

"I was just thinking, if you did leave us today, I'd tell Yukinon… '_Hikki _is playing _HOOKY_'," Yuigahama sheepishly admitted, fidgeting around.

_Ugh_.

It felt like a thousand blood vessels in my noggin' just burst instantly. As if it couldn't get any worse, pinkie here scrambled to explain her dumb joke.

"Y-Your name and the other word, like, rhyme when you say the second one in English, hehe."

We took the same English today, you dunce.

"Yeah, I got it. That's not even my name though…" I trailed off.

I'm sorry I asked in the first place, but now I understand being here was a mistake that needed to be _rectified_.

Ah there we go. As if on cue, I saw an emergency exit a few seconds later. I swerved and walked towards its direction with a skip in my step.

Anticipating my move, however, Yuigahama gripped onto my arm and redirected me back towards our original destination. Heavenly solitude was but a few strides away but denied to me by a daring, airheaded minx. A minx who stupidly brushed herself and her huge _funbags_ against my elbow. It took a few moments until she finally realized what she was doing and got off me with a timid apology.

Not another word was said and we walked on as if that didn't just happen. However, she kept eyeing my damn arm and fidgeting with her hands that were gripping me hard earlier.

Yeesh, nothing's going the way I wanted it to today, huh? Sucks. Let's see if she'll divulge anything else.

"Uh, moving on," I started, clearing my throat. "No requests all last week huh?"

She nodded slowly. "Uhn. Nothing at all really. But, Hikki…"

We reached the club room door right before she trailed off, bringing us both to a stop. Nicely done, Yuigahama. You certainly know how to structure a conversation and use perfect timing to make your next point _sound_ significant. But given that Yuigahama is… Yuigahama, I don't expect this next point to have much substance to it.

"I've asked you to help Yukinon in the past, during the Cultural Festival," Yuigahama reminisced. "And you did it."

Hmph, I was right. Yuigahama couldn't be more wrong, especially about that day. I failed to capture Isshiki and left her free to attack the school a second time. But no one but myself would know about that, so I'm guessing she's talking about the preparations and the event itself.

I shook my head at her. "I didn't do anything other than fulfill my duties like every other committee member. Besides, the event was ruined in the end by Lady Comedy, so that request was an utter failure—"

She cut me off. "I meant before that. I heard what happened, Hikki. You didn't let Sagamin or Yukinon's Onee-san have their way and let everyone take it easy."

Alright, that's true, but not for the reasons you think.

"That was only because Yukinoshita's plan for the committee was the most efficient at the time—"

But Yuigahama interrupted me again with a soft whisper. "It's okay, y'know?"

Stubborn girl needlessly gave me a reassuring smile, her lashes batting at me as if to convey understanding. Wait no, she was pleading with me.

"Please, Hikki. Please be there for Yukinon again. What people are saying about her… be-because of her bad mama and papa… I can't _stand_ it."

She tried to close the distance even more but I stepped back instinctively once her breaths tickled my ear. I didn't like the sensation as much as she didn't seem to like that I caught her eyes getting watery. She brushed her eyes quickly, looking annoyed while doing so.

Don't worry, you've definitely made things far more awkward for me than for yourself.

Undeterred by my wariness, however, Yuigahama continued and I stayed put, beyond her reach.

"I never thought I'd see Yukinon be so… delicate. She needs us to be nice, okay?"

Again, I didn't have a straight answer for her, but I knew it never would have resembled what she sought from me. Yuigahama didn't wait for me to speak and finally opened the sliding door instead.

It surprised me when this typically loud girl _silently_ walked in the way she did. What a curious thing for Yuigahama, of all people, to enter a room without _Yahallo_-ing to the heavens.

The atmosphere must have been _that_ bad since last Monday. And I was expected to express a level of understanding and comfort, despite having no experience in doing so.

My nerves were slightly riling up again, no, they were even _worse_ than before.

Anticipating an awkward, silent hell of a club meeting, I took a deep breath and followed suit.

Ah, there _she_ was.

Yukinoshita.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks a lot to the original story author 502Nickster as always. Part 2 should be out this week, because I've taken way too long to update the story and the next part is where some drama occurs. Hope you can bear this slow burn.


	6. Return to Sobu (Part 2)

Chapter 6: Return to Sobu (Part 2)

_**Hikigaya Hachiman**_

Huh, my expectations were proven wrong. I was pretty much finished with my homework in just over a half hour into club time. Breezed through writing short responses and finished enough of the math and science problem sets to get a decent grade.

What a shockingly productive afternoon it's been! It helped that Yuigahama's attempts to have a conversation with me fell flat when I only gave her one word responses to work with. What do I have planned to get through this month's mandatory curfew you ask? Ha, I don't think you'd be able to handle the truth. Even Hiratsuka-sensei struggles whenever she sees me.

_Studying_. Be satisfied with that answer.

After the first five minutes, Yuigahama got the hint and switched over to texting on her phone as I scribbled away. Perfect for this kind of atmosphere… imposed on us both by the big elephant in the room.

There was a reason, after all, why I wasn't being nagged or _icily_ admonished for using club time to finish other work.

Stunningly, Yukinoshita Yukino was sound asleep in her seat. Presumably since the moment she arrived plopped down. This meant there was no 'authority' to nag me into reading one of my novels to pass the time instead. Thus, I took full advantage of our leader's current _slothful_ state.

Yuigahama prevented me from greeting Yukinoshita after I followed her into the club room, signaling me to stay quiet. Like an idiot though, she contradicted her previous, considerate action by asking me about my day and plans...

I get you were excited to finally pester someone else after a long week of playing second mother to this girl, but try to read the room, yeah? It was quiet. Not the kind of 'quiet' I preferred, since it's more suffocating than calming. But quiet nonetheless. So we should put the effort in keeping it that way.

I put my homework away, exhaling as I leaned back into my chair. Yuigahama continued smiling at her phone, humming quietly to herself. That cheery mood most likely had something to do with her resurrected clique… whom I'll be meeting up with later, against my will.

Now isn't that an _amazing_ time to look forward to?

Foiledagain. So much for coming back to Sobu and staying late for this club. I won't have a chance at getting anything out of Yukinoshita until Yuigahama wakes her up at the end, if that. Some intel about Haruno-san's start as Yukinoshita Construction's new CEO would have been nice. That's the main reason I stopped by today. Not to mention getting over with the annoying _pleasantries_ that a reunion entails.

Really, I just wanted to rip off the bandaid as quickly as possible. But looking at Yukinoshita now, with her head clutched between her forearms, long, black hair draped messily over the table, only slightly moving to take slow, deep breaths, I knew that was impossible.

Were I to get close and part Yukinohita's eyelid, like some creep, I'd totally find her to be in blissful REM sleep.

Ha. How's that for rhyming, Yuigahama?

I wouldn't dare however, especially not in the ugly, pitiful state they were in. The area around Yukinoshita's eyes were puffy and red, suggesting she _cried_ to herself beforehand. Yuigahama had seen this too, leading her to lightly pet Yukinoshita every now and then, exuding her sympathies like a pro.

Still wasn't sure what I was doing here… I might as well have gone home and watched my brat sister pet Kamakura's fluffy ears.

"_Psst_, _Hikki_."

I quickly turned away from Yukinoshita.

"Before you accuse me of anything, I wasn't star—"

She ignored what I was saying and quietly sashayed around the table, stopping by my right side.

"I have to go to the bathroom. Watch over Yukinon 'til I get back, okay?" she said, her legs shaking in place.

What are you, _five_? Why the hell are you telling me? When you gotta go, you gotta—wait!

I shoved a thumb over to the sleeping Ice Queen.

"_Hold on_, what if she—"

"_Mou_—I can't wait, Hikki!" Yuigahama whispered, her voice high pitched.

Yuigahama sauntered over to the door, looking back at me just once. I must have looked like an anxious schoolboy, because she threw me a few words of encouragement.

"Don't worry, you can do it!"

With just that and nothing else, I was left alone behind closed doors, entrusted with the welfare of Sobu's Ice Queen _pariah_.

No, even that was an exaggeration.

This wasn't me protecting Yukinoshita, much less interrogating her, as I initially intended. Rather, I was now _babysitting_ a girl my age. Not just any girl—freaking Yukinoshita.

Why, Kami-sama?

Yukinoshita stirred lightly in her seat, snuggling herself just a bit tighter. I eyed her a bit before turning away from the sight, hoping _Yuigamama_ would quickly return. I was done for the day—I didn't want to stay to waste time like this.

What did Yukinoshita expect? More headpats? No way was I gonna try to do it myself—I'd get caught and then forever labeled a pervert…

I wasn't up for this consolating duty and I'm starting to realize that's alright. I expected some tension and perhaps more _guilt_ for upping this girl's fragility today, but nothing close to this. This isn't something I would ever relish or express sympathy over.

The closer club time came to an end, the more my anxiousness was sapped away. Indifference was taking over. Yuigahama, your expectations of me were wrong—I'm not some saintly, reliable savior. I can only spare so much pity before things start turning in the other direction.

Right now, my opinion is that Yukinoshita has become really… pathetic. Hmm. No, even that's way too harsh for me to say. It's probably my nerves getting to me. I should calm myself down somehow.

The girl stirred again, uh no, she _shivered_ and I quickly figured out the reason why.

I carefully got up from my seat, walking over behind her to shut a slightly open window. I know the dolt that left for the bathroom didn't open it, so that just left the girl who sat closest as the perpetrator.

Yukinoshita, that was a stupid decision. Inducing yourself to sleep by freezing yourself opened everyone else here to the risk of a cold. At least provide us with some warm tea before pulling a selfish move like that. I see a lot of tea bags available, so there's no excuse. Paper cups are right beside the kettle too… might as well brew some up.

Green, chamomile, and red tea were available, but no black tea in sight. Delightful. I wasn't privy to any luck this entire day so why did I think now would be any different?

I decided on drinking chamomile instead and started heating things up. It was impossible, however, to ignore Yukinoshita _whimpering_ right behind me.

Almost immediately, I turned myself around and saw Yukinohita struggling on the desk. Her head was deeply nuzzled within an arm, the other one stiff and outstretched across the table, as if she yearned to grasp an object.

Things got much worse and I started to panic, gripping myself together to find a solution. She alternated between hyperventilating like crazy and mewling like she was in pain! But there was nothing to indicate this was the fault of an external factor, which narrowed things down!

I took a tentative step forward and cautiously clutched the wrist of Yukinoshita's free arm with my right hand. She reacted immediately to my touch, trying to wriggle away, but I held it firmly until she quit resisting. A half minute later, I determined her heart rate had spiked to roughly _150 bpm_, meaning she's experiencing either a panic attack or a night terror.

Well, I'm no expert. For all I know, it could be both...

_No_, _no_.

What do I do?! I was never arsed enough to learn the school nurse's number—hold on! _Hiratsuka-sensei's_ number was definitely in my phone and I could even recall it by heart. No, this isn't me bragging to myself! She's a terrible contact to have.

Ah, shit.

I tried reaching for my smartphone after releasing Yukinoshita but the unexpected happened. That is, Yukinoshita's arm convulsed instantly and she managed to grasp my right wrist with her palm, bringing me in closer than I was comfortable with.

Let me go, _you_. I have to call Hiratsuka-sensei for your sake—

"Oka-oka," she uttered, her voice hard and thick.

_Oka_? Wait, what are you saying?

"_Okaa-san, please_," Yukinoshita croaked, her eyes still shut.

…

Unbelievable.

Yuigahama, Hiratsuka-sensei, even Haruno-san was needed here more than _I _would ever be. Yukinoshita was still shivering to herself, breathing hard and with no sign of her stopping anytime soon.

I… I can't even imagine crying out for motherly comfort from one of the most detestable, _evil_ women this country has ever spawned.

Yukinoshita Yukari… being a doting mother? That's a sight I don't think even exists. Even her oldest, Haruno-san, is a two-faced snake with intentions that are only _marginally_ innocent. And yet you still chose to cry for your crooked mother…

I'll be honest, seeing Yukinoshita writhing under me was downright uncomfortable. There was nowhere else to look but right at her face,where her features continued to tremble.

Her porcelain skin was marred roughly along the edges of her eyes. No doubt she's rubbed away many instances of tears in the past week. Those cheeks of her looked slack and her lips, which parted for her shallow breaths, were pale and hideously chapped.

I knew this look all too well. I was bearing witness to a girl who was… dying. Deteriorating from within.

Yukinoshita was never one to become a part of the many circles formed around her, but she had still always merited a favorable impression amongst her peers. And now? The tiny society of Sobu is disgusted and frightenedby this petite, doll-like girl of all people. Not even a criminal, just a young academic with a gross sense of noblesse oblige. What a frightening monster, huh?

Why is it that the path to justice causes pain? A pain that will last a generation because of what _I_ did. Why? Wasn't the point of me becoming Huntsman was to prevent people from going through what I did? It astounds me that justice must always be put first before _revenge_. As if they aren't two sides of the same coin.

What came to mind was that, because of my many shortcomings, I could only manage to bring a _sword_ instead of peace. I've forcefully divided you from your mother and father—plucked away the acceptance of your peers, all for the sake of my justice.

It doesn't even end there. Chiba is being pillaged by its _own_ people while I'm inside this cushy school, letting you cling on to me. You being none the wiser about my part as Huntsman is necessary, but it doesn't bring me pleasure. In fact, I feel oddly disgusted.

Yukinoshita… to see you suffering a great, _lonely_ kind of pain is a feeling that I can understand…

...

_Stop._

I tore my gaze away from the _doll_, so to speak, grunting in frustration.

Don't go there, Hachiman. Your 'scout's honor', remember? Making this mission personal would cause it to become more of a hindrance than it should be. Chiba deserves someone stronger than that, or else peace will be an impossibility.

With this in mind, I looked down at my wrist and hardened my eyes.

I'm _not_ your mother, Yukinoshita. I'm also not one to coddle others, no matter what Yuigahama thinks. I'm a... selfish guy by heart and, right now, I'd rather you let go of me and wake up from this night terror.

"Get up, now," I demanded.

I pried her fingers off me, breaking free from Yukinoshita's tight hold. Her face squinted hard as if she was disturbed, but it wasn't enough. So I firmly grasped Yukinoshita by the shoulder and shook her left and right, ignoring her tiny cries.

"Yukinoshita. Yukinoshita!"

_Wake up_.

"_Oi_, Yukinoshita!" I said loudly in her ear.

Finally my efforts bore fruit as Yukinoshita awakened, desperately gasping for air. I let go, but not before lightly pushing her back into her seat and taking a step back myself.

Breathe easy yourself, Hachiman. Brace yourself.

Her eyes were red and bulging in fear, turning in every direction until she was finally fixated on my person. She carefully looked up, flinching hard when our eyes locked on.

Caught you off guard, huh? Not the kindest face to see upon waking up, I know, but you can blame Yuigahama later for that.

"...Yo," I said, nodding once to her.

"H-Hiki…" Yukinoshita stuttered out, her petite limbs trembling together as she withdrew further from me.

Not that I was a raving conversationalist, but saying _anything_ was better than just standing here while being looked at as if I were a ghost. Scooting your chair back was a bit over the top, don't you think? What I'd _give _to hear what that nightmare of yours was about. Well, only a hundred yen tops, honestly.

I cleared my throat, lunging after the first stupid thing that came to mind.

"..._Hiki_? That's what Yuigahama calls me. She's already annoying for doing that, so don't make it a habit yourself. I mean it."

Once again, her eyes widened and she rushed to respond.

"W-What? No… I…"

Nothing after that. Surprisingly, Yukinoshita's voice was still faint and she waved her arms apprehensively. Suffice to say, she was still lost for words at my sudden appearance. So, this meant I was to be the driver of this conversation. _Me_.

This was a strange position to be in and I had nothing helpful in mind. I suppose Yukinoshita needed a reminder of the kind of person she's been all year? Was this what Yuigahama meant by helping? What a pain.

Suddenly, a _loud_ whistle erupted directly behind us. I turned to the kettle, annoyed that it got the jump on me, while Yukinoshita recoiled harshly as expected.

Relax, it's just boiled tea.

I broke away from this awkward pause, turned off the kettle, and made the last preparations for my brew. A few spoonfuls of sugar couldn't hurt—neither would a little 'salt' thrown Yukinoshita's way.

"...I expected worse from you, Yukinoshita. Some biting insult whipped up on the spot. Like how I'm arrogant for expecting 'decent' people to remember my name… or, maybe, how I'm an awful delinquent for last week's absences."

I finished poking at Yukinoshita with my light tirade to no avail. Not once had she stopped eyeing me from her seat like a frightened animal. I mean, I could actually _feel_ her eyes boring into me.

Well, at least the tension was halfway replaced by an air of confusion. Not exactly what I intended though. Perhaps I laid it on too thick—just 'listen' to her response.

"..."

Nothing but silence. Her body language indicated she was partially relieved by me just casually talking around her, I guess. That was _some_ measure of a step forward—go me!

I ignored her discomfort, placing her usual teacup and saucer right in front of her. She stared at the drink in confusion.

"It's chamomile. Calms the nerves, supposedly," I explained, pouring myself a cup before going back to my seat and giving her space.

Yukinoshita nodded at that, seemingly agreeing with my bit of tea trivia. She took in its scent, raising the teacup close to her face before gently blowing away the steam.

"...Th-Thank you," Yukinoshita mumbled so softly I could hardly make it out. She moved her lips, as if to repeat her words again, but I waved off the attempt.

"You're welcome…" I told her, scratching the back of my neck. "Um, you looked like you were having a nightmare."

"I… yes. I was," Yukinoshita confessed, before taking a sip.

She looked around herself again, brushing herself in place. Again the girl drew short, anxious breaths, her eyes darting left and right as if she couldn't locate something important. Chamomile just _had _to be slow at its supposed function, huh?

"Yuigahama's in the bathroom. You were jerking around so I decided to wake you up, that's all. She should be back soon," I explained to her.

She turned to me a bit too quickly before processing my words.

"I see. F-Forgive me for the trouble."

That stutter is slowly going away. I'm quite pleased she was finally speaking full, coherent sentences instead of babbling.

"No trouble at all," I lied.

I'm sure she didn't believe that. She looked away right after, taking in a few more cautious sips of her tea. Just forget about this no matter what, Yukinoshita. It's best if Yuigahama didn't find out about what just happened, so that I could escape any further expectations from her.

My intentions were selfish. Everything was for my work. In fact, I should have continued the conversation somehow for that purpose. Perhaps I could have feigned interest in Yukinoshita's dream of her mother and went from there to other people of interest.

Like her sister.

But any attempt made now would come off as obvious fishing, so beating around the bush wasn't an option. Neither was forcing Yukinoshita into this topic when Yuigahama could walk in any minute and derail everything as usual.

I possessed neither time nor charm—today's meeting was my loss. At this rate, it'll take a good month to squeeze any valuable information out of Yukinoshita.

"W-Welcome back, Hikigaya-kun. M-My apologies for not saying so earlier…" Yukinoshita said during our silence, timidness returning to her voice.

Can't say it's good to be back, since that would be another lie. What I _can_ be honest about is how irritating it is that your demeanor's regressing once again.

"Yeah, though you're over a half hour late on that. I guess catching Z's is a new club activity?" I asked with clear sarcasm. Even pointed at my wristwatch for added effect.

Yukinoshita's face turned red in embarrassment and it was, admittedly, a rare sight to behold. A moment passed and she still didn't offer me a response, opting to brush her hair to the side. She even wiped her forehead with a silk handkerchief retrieved from her pocket.

Unlike when my mother did that, I didn't see any makeup smudges on Yukinoshita's piece of cloth. No black or beige marks, just an awful amount of sweat accumulated from her head. However, I don't think any amount of makeup in the world could conceal how unkempt this girl appeared.

"Hey, I'm all for using club time to sleep. So I'll remember to bring a pillow tomorrow. I'm _more_ than fine with you retaining Yuigahama as a personal ear scratcher," I continued.

Yukinoshita straightened her posture and breathed slowly, but refused to meet my eyes. Did I lay it on too thick again? Well, there's a purpose for that… assuming she's the type to fight back when cornered like an animal. In her current state, however, she was nothing more than a frightened kitten.

Hopefully I'm right on the money with what I'm about to do.

Again, she spoke softly.

"No… there's no truth to that. I don't… I regret letting myself fall into such a state. Y-You have my apologies—"

Yukinoshita was interrupted by a shuffle near the entrance, the door opening to reveal the club's missing third member. Just when it seemed like the former ice woman was going to scrounge up an argument…

Ah, look at that, I guess I brewed tea for no reason. Yuigahama took it upon herself to buy drinks for everyone. What a kind gesture. I mean—that can of Max Coffee _is _for me, _yeah_?

"Hey Hikki, you like this sweet stuff right?"

_Nice_.

"—Yukinon?! You're awake!"

Pinkie sprinted over to give Yukinoshita a _lover_'_s_ embrace, which was surprisingly met with little resistance. Not to say Yukinoshita totally reciprocated her friend's touch. Actually, based on her stiff exterior, _Yurigahama_ might as well have hugged an ice sculpture.

"My bad, did I interrupt? It's been so long since Hikki's been here, right Yukinon?" she pointed out excitedly, letting go to take her seat.

"Yes, that is true… and, well, Hikigaya-kun and I were just—"

Yukinoshita paused, glancing in my direction. Was she waiting for me to deflect or take control? What's so difficult about telling the truth?

Heh. A lot of things.

"It's simple. I was just calling Yukinoshita out for sleeping on the job, that's all," I said nonchalantly.

Apparently, that wasn't the most tactful line I could've spoken. Yuigahama's eyes popped out at me.

"Hikki, it's no big deal. Yukinon was just tired," she said, her voice strained.

I understand that, I'm tired too! But I was about to try something _inspiring_ on Yukinoshita right before you interrupted us, Yuigahama.

Nothing that'd land me in the back of a police cruiser, mind you. In fact, you just might thank me later for the results. Thinking logically, there's nothing better for a reputed ideologue like Yukinoshita to get riled up than a villain in bloom.

And I'm feeling extra _springy _today.

"Hey, I'm not the one who always goes on about how _imperative_ it is to be an exemplary member of the Service Club. That's always been _her _favorite statute," I told Yuigahama, eyeing at the other girl in the end.

Well, are you really gonna take that from me?

"I…" Yukinoshita trailed off again, her spirit still nowhere to be seen.

Yuigahama jumped in her stead, struggling to use an assertive tone.

"Everyone deserves a break, y'know?"

"Normally I'd agree. But frankly, Miss President here deserves to be scrutinized when she's being a hypocrite."

Hell, I'm being awfully relentless. Yukinoshita is the subject but Yuigahama is the one I'm arguing with. Surely _Ice Queen _has to realize these two conditions should be mutually exclusive.

"...He isn't wrong, Yuigahama-san," Yukinoshita admitted, trying to mediate between the two of us. Much to my disappointment. As expected, her timid approach was ignored by even Yuigahama herself.

"Yukinon isn't a hypocrite! Just let it go, she didn't mean to—"

"She seems to disagree with you, Yuigahama," I pointed out, keeping calm.

That seemed to have hit back harder than Yuigahama's outburst, encouraging her to settle down. My point was to constantly put Yukinoshita on the hot seat, thinking this would be a good moment. However, only Yuigahama moved to speak again.

"That doesn't mean you're not being harsh about it. Why? Why can't you understand…" Her voice wavered.

Your quivering lips aren't going to work on me. You really don't understand what I'm trying to get at here huh, Yuigahama? Well, if this eludes you, then perhaps I can get away with something else that will go over _your_ head but not for the girl you're answering for.

"Yuigahama, she definitely could formulate better, more substantial arguments in defense of herself than what you've offered. Merely observing that I'm being unkind by your pitiably low standards? I hardly even care to refute that weak, irrelevant point," I said, waving in dismissal.

"Hi-Hikigaya-kun…" Yukinoshita called out my name first, somehow having followed that ugly jumble of words I brought together with my internal thesaurus. All to put Yuigahama down right in front of her.

Yuigahama looked every bit as lost as I expected, awakening a bit of remorse within me when her eyes slightly glistened. She was dumbfounded over what my words meant, but took it as an insult anyway.

Hurting Yuigahama like this wasn't in the initial plan—should I call things off?

...

No, I couldn't stop here. Either you step in with something substantial or you don't step in at all. That's how it's always been in the Service Club, Yuigahama. For someone who's "in love" with this group, you never really understood that.

Yukinoshita and I always preferred to cut through bullshit and clashed with one another. Nothing held back. Now that she's too timid to do so, too timid to even defend you, her _only_ friend… is there nothing left to be expected?

I didn't want to believe that, even if I brought Yukinoshita down there myself as Huntsman. I suppose I... I wanted to have my cake and eat it too? That can't be… this is for Chiba. I know it. It has to be that way.

I feigned an obnoxious snicker. The kind that little shits do when they've successfully turned the entire class on you.

"It's quite freeing. To get away with saying this much is… refreshing."

From the corner of my eye, I _did_ finally see a glint of disdain for me coming from Yukinoshita. But I was too eager to confirm this. Me turning to meet her eyes was a mistake, as any confidence she was gathering just broke down instantly.

…Damn.

What was this, like, my third swipe and no significant parry from either girl? What's going on here? Holding out for another hero, Yukinoshita? No desire to launch a counterattack? What's it going to take? Me whipping out my phone and taking a picture of you pathetically staring at your cup of tea?

…Maybe I'd pull that off if it didn't look like Yuigahama was going to murder me any second now. _She _was clenching her fists, looking ready to give me a wallop. No good. I can't have that happen—pushing a frenzied Yuigahama off of me would be more trouble than it's worth.

"You can be free somewhere else then. I'm sorry Hikki, maybe it's best if you leave today," Yuigahama said coarsely.

And the curtain falls. It was time to leave. My strategy didn't work out, however, there was a silver lining to all this and my opening was here and now.

Let's end things here, yeah?

"_Now_ you're speaking my language, Yuigahama," I haughtily responded, getting up as I quickly retrieved my papers into my bag. "Don't expect me to wait at the bike racks either."

"...Jerk," she called me.

Yuigahama wasn't wrong. I even had half a mind to snatch the Max Coffee can as I left, but thought better of it. Lesson learned, don't cut off a bridge until you've received all desired goods from the other side.

"Hey, I'll save you the trouble of doing this everyday by staying away for the rest of the term, and ever," I told her instead.

Hell, it felt surreal to address Yuigahama instead of Yukinoshita as the one in charge, but it is what it is. She jumped up, somehow surprised that I would just quit that easily.

"You—"

"What?" I interrupted Yuigahama. "Don't tell me you didn't expect this to happen one of these days. It was inevitable. Always was."

Yuigahama backed down easier than I thought she would. Perhaps she was tired of arguing for two. Ah well, this was probably the last time for us, Yuigahama. Whatever I tried to pull in the last five minutes with my off-putting behavior failed miserably. Yukinoshita was a lost cause and there would be no benefit to either of us being in each other's company. I've more than overstayed my welcome and it was time to depart for good.

In regards to keeping tabs on the Yukinoshita family, I'll gain much better results working from the ground up and afar than by sticking around and coddling a fragile girl with nothing to say.

As for the guilt I've been feeling… I'll get over it. An epiphany might spark in the future. The members of the Service Club and I will just be strangers to each other when it does. And if nothing gives? Well, it would be a testament to people's inability to change and move on. Thus, proving that I was always right, since the first day Yukinoshita and I met here.

"Funny, I guess this leaves Hiratsuka-sensei's first request thoroughly unfulfilled, leaving me… the _victor_," I stated in a tone that was neither joyous nor sorrowful.

Really, they were just the last two cents I had to offer and neither girl seemed to care enough to respond.

Stepping out of the club room for one last time was easier than I thought it'd be. Probably because I've already done this twice when Isshiki was still around. Not sure if making a tantrum and then leaving is such a good habit to develop. There's no taste to this 'victory' at all, especially when my tirade against Yukinoshita was faked.

I stretched my limbs, feeling satisfied as my joints cracked all over. The sign of the storage room caught my eye with its myriad of colorful stickers.

I don't think I ever asked Yuigahama what the hell those were meant to represent. The number of requests we took? The number of weeks we've been through together? Whatever it was, the vast quantity of cutesy stickers indicated she had loads of free time and opportunities to vandalize this piece of school property.

Well, this year felt longer than most and it was finally coming to an end. Maybe I'll go eat a nice early dinner and catch a few hours of sleep at home. Tonight's patrol awaits me! Thankfully Monday nights to Tuesday mornings usually aren't so bad—

I only managed to take a few steps away when I stopped at the sound of a chair scraping against the floor. Footsteps followed through, tapping closer and closer from inside the club room.

"_Yukinon_!" Yuigahama's voice muffled through the door.

_Uh oh_.

I've got to make a break for it once I reach the end of the hallway. I wasn't kidding myself earlier. It'd be too much trouble if one of these girls got emotional from my shitty tirade and tried to whack me—no doubt Hiratsuka-sensei would try to keep us here longer than usual after the fact. Calling all of our parents and whatnot.

"Agh!"

Shit. My stupid foot tripped over itself in the midst of my speedwalk and I ended up bumping my side against the wall. A massive spike of pain surged through my shoulder.

It _hurts_. The feeling was horrendous and I could barely withstand my bruises throbbing like crazy. The urge to shout all the expletives I've ever come across in life was thankfully suppressed and I sucked in air to my heart—er, _lung_'s content.

Of all times for this to happen. I can't freaking _move_. It hurts so, so bad!

Yukinoshita finally slid open the clubroom door and closed it once more behind her. I looked at her, grateful that the dimly lit hallway hid my pained expression. She got a few steps closer to me and I barely straightened myself out, ready for her next move.

"W-Where do you think you're going?" Yukinoshita asked. She stuttered, but her voice was finally very much audible.

That was unexpected. What's going on here?

"You're... you're daydreaming now too? Yuigahama told me to leave and I decided to quit altogether," I said, gesturing a thumb back over to the club room.

Yukinoshita drew in a breath. She clasped her fingers together in front of her before lightly shaking her head at me.

"...No. Afternoon club hours haven't ended yet. Your departure now would be premature... and without excuse," she stated.

She's not hitting me, so that's good. You're gonna try to keep me back, huh? Is there a chance you're… not totally fragile? If that's the case, then I have every reason to not act like a girl and endure this pain. Take another shot, Hachiman.

"Ah, so… I'm getting mixed signals here and I'd rather follow the one that got me kicked out. It's what benefits me most," I responded, smirking in self satisfaction.

That was easy. It was the truth, after all.

"...That was invalid," Yukinoshita said matter-of-factly.

Oh? Keep going.

"What's with the vagueness?" I asked, taking a step towards her.

That was a stupid move. It felt like the devil _clawed_ at my entire left side. I really needed to lie down somewhere.

For a short moment, I could tell Yukinoshita wanted to retreat from this confrontation as well. Her persistent eye contact was heavily forced and her knees were buckling as if she was gonna give way any second now.

However, this was a major step up from the wet napkin she was just a few minutes ago. Figures Ice Queen would try to come out the moment _I_ wanted nothing more than to collapse in the nurse's office for the next hour.

"Yuigahama-san is... my dear friend. She meant well but holds no authority to do as she likes with the permittance of other club members," Yukinoshita said quietly.

Good, valid point. I said nothing and Yukinoshita breathed easy, gaining a bit of momentum from this. Her spine finally arched upwards in a manner befitting of a proud _ojou-sama_, for the first time this afternoon.

"...That power belongs only to Hiratsuka-sensei and I. Thus, you remain a member of the Service Club, Hikigaya-kun," Yukinoshita finished.

She was looking quite expectant, as if _daring_ me to give her a response for her to shoot down. I guess this really was my one chance to build off that—my earlier attempts weren't in vain after all.

"Appealing to authority eh? That kind of argument doesn't work on me, especially when you've spent the majority today passed out and sensei's got other priorities, many of them just as irresponsible," I pointed out.

To Yukinoshita's credit, she didn't flinch like before when I first brought up her slacking off. She took it in stride now. I was impressed, but still didn't let it show.

"While I can't speak for Hiratsuka-sensei's behavior, I _can_ say that we've already finished discussing my error."

"Which was—"

"—_Yes_, I agree that resting during club hours was inappropriate and, yes, club presidents _should_ lead a better example for their fellow members," Yukinoshita conceded, her voice regaining her usual dignified tone with every few words she spoke.

"So admitting your faults fixes everything, huh? You forget that's supposed to work both ways."

Yukinoshita ignored that weak point I threw at her. She confidently stepped forward in my direction, head lifted up high.

"Once again, you have my apologies, Hikigaya-kun. It's not within my power, however, to control whether you choose to forgive me or not."

True, if this beef of mine was legit, I could live with you finishing the argument here. Remember, I didn't care that your car was the one to run me over a year ago, so of course you sleeping in the club room is a total non-issue.

However, if I could make amends to our 'back and forth', that'd be great! Sure, I selfishly berated you in an unorthodox attempt to... _spring_ you back from being a timid mute. But to _fully_ reverse this club's discourse back to normal? That required more work. Permanence always required more work.

So let's say I 'don't' forgive you, even if I actually couldn't care less. Something _has _to give to make certain you don't fall back.

"That issue is left to me alone? Typical, I should have expected as much," I sniped again.

Yukinoshita stared at me for a moment, holding her ground.

"I won't beg for your forgiveness, Hikigaya-kun. I will, however, ask that you take your seat until dismissal time arrives."

Her head gestured back towards the club room, but I stood _my_ ground. I wasn't yet satisfied. I needed to hear her threaten me.

"You're not asking, you're demanding," I asserted.

"You're _stalling_, Hikigaya-kun. Fruitlessly so. As per the school's policy, Hiratsuka-sensei will be notified should you choose to leave early. You are mandated to stay, last I checked," Yukinoshita pointed out, the corners of her mouth arched upwards.

...I wouldn't smile that much if I were you. I mean, you're acting _way_ too proud after saying you'd just tattle on me to Hiratsuka-sensei. What's with people immediately swinging to such childish threats anyways? Seriously, we're _not_ in primary school anymore, people.

Hold on. Didn't you just slip up? I couldn't hide a smirk. It's important to remember your own rules, Yukinoshita.

"Last _I _checked, you gave us members the option whether to attend club or not—"

"—That policy was annulled during your absence," Yukinoshita cut me off without flinching.

Eh? No way. She has to be bluffing.

"What's with that? You can't just retroactively decide on what rules—"

She swiped her hand with practiced ease, cutting off my spiel.

"I'm doing nothing of the sort. It was implemented after Isshiki-san's unfortunate disappearance was made public… through Hiratsuka-sensei's insistence."

Using Isshiki's MIA status as a crutch for your argument? You can't expect me to believe that.

"That doesn't make any sense."

"As I recall from last week, Hiratsuka-sensei rallied a few concerned parents and other faculty members to install this new mandate. Students enrolled in clubs and beyond must be accounted for at all times, no exceptions," Yukinoshita explained without missing a beat.

Unfortunately, her eyes didn't betray her. My gut told me that Yukinoshita was telling the truth and, as infuriating as it was to admit, it made sense that some attendance policies would be overruled with stricter regulations after everything.

Still, the one who championed this policy change was none other than…

"You said it was Hiratsuka-sensei who proposed this, just last week, huh?" I asked, looking away.

"Yes," Yukinoshita nodded. "As I recall, she personally came to tell Yuigahama-san and I after the resolution was passed."

I let out a sigh, my disappointment boiling over.

Of course, I didn't believe for a second that a missing Isshiki was the only reason for _her_ to lobby new restrictions with the higher ups. Well played, Hiratsuka-sensei. You didn't listen at all to me about my intentions for Chiba and chose to act while I was gone. You'd rather have me encased somewhere safe for as long as possible, limiting what time I have to prepare to go out there.

Out there, in Chiba, where I could be of use. I revealed to you my ambitions and shared something that I can't take back now. If the one person who supposedly understands me more than anyone else... came to this conclusion by herself…

Does this mean I really am just a _boy_ who's way in over his head?

"...Tch. How overbearing of you both to leave me and anyone else without a choice," I said, tightening my brows at Yukinoshita.

Nothing gained. She just shook her head again at me, ready to give another predictable response.

"Wrong again—you are left with two choices. There is no other issue at hand for you to harp on and it would be much simpler to choose to go back inside."

"And accomplish what, exactly?" I asked roughly.

"Perhaps you can attempt to make things cordial once again between you and Yuigahama-san?" she coyly suggested.

Are you kidding me? There's only so much I can take here, for her damn sake.

"Oh, so now I have to apologize too?"

Yukinoshita's head tilted, as if dumbstruck that I would ask such a question. Yeah, now I was no longer in the mood to deal with this person.

"Well, doing so would be the first step to the restoration of our group's cohesion."

Cohesion? That's laughable. The Service Club has always consisted of two circles and mine was always a party of _one_.

"Furthermore, your words from earlier to Yuigahama-san were quite vile," she continued. "Surely even a ruffian like yourself has to have limits."

I do and only now I can see they've been crossed multiple times today without backlash. Enough is enough.

I straightened my back, grunting hard when my shoulder stung again. Yukinoshita's teasing smile dissipated, realizing I wasn't going to play along with her and offer back any banter.

"This is all nothing more than putting me in between a rock and a hard place, since choosing either is undeniably troublesome. But it's easier for you and everyone else to just run roughshod over me, _huh_?" I spat out at her.

I made Yukinoshita tremble, simply watched as she took in quick, successive shallow breaths, but I didn't care anymore. _No_—I mean I didn't ever care.

Frankly, I'm sick of my opinions and actions getting thrown out the window without any consideration. The whole day has gone like this, ever since I had to skip breakfast to find Komachi. It's bullshit. I didn't even care that I was now genuinely throwing a temper tantrum here. I'm done with this mess.

"Hikigaya-kun, I...that isn't necessarily how things will operate—"

I cut her off with a swipe of my own hand at the air, as she had done so a minute ago.

"Look, spare me the sugarcoating alright? I couldn't care less to hear about why me having a problem here doesn't matter." I said, my frustration perfectly conveyed.

That did it. Yukinoshita hunched over and only looked at the ground right after. Her arms were wrapped around herself, in an attempt to settle down her shuddering body. After a moment, it seemed she reverted back to her docile state, ready for immediate pickup—so long as the carrier treated her like the fragile being she was.

I definitely wasn't interested in coddling and guiding this pile of shattered glass back to her seat. I looked over her and decided the other girl still inside the club room was best suited to accomplish this task. My pride refused me to become someone's delivery boy. Not when I was already a guy with a lack of choice.

I let out a sigh and cautiously stepped past Yukinoshita. The pain from my side earlier had gone numb again but I didn't want to take any chances and strain myself.

I was _yoinked_ back at the last second.

Yukinoshita grabbed me by the forearm before I entered the club room in a huff. Thankfully, she had done so _very_ gently and let go of me as soon as I acknowledged her action with a scowl. I made sure this one of mine was deeper than usual, only to be responded with a look of guilt.

"No, that was the… wrong approach. I'm sorry," she apologized, shaking her head.

I took a step back, admittedly stunned. Not one minute ago, this girl was lording over me because she had my balls in a vice. Now she's giving me an apology—over what? How? Even the rational side of me _knew_ I was in the wrong for ranting at Yukinoshita.

I didn't have anything to say back, hoping my silence was enough to garner an explanation. She did continue at her own pace with… _shame _attached to her words.

"...Listen, Hikigaya-kun. I understand if you have a problem… being in the same vicinity as me."

I see. So it was as simple as that.

"That's—"

I was ready to clear up the misunderstanding, but Yukinoshita furtively shook her head at me and waved her arms in _surrender_. Her motions practically begged me to stay silent and let her go on first.

I complied. It was only right.

"I don't wish to make you or anyone else uncomfortable with my presence... certain arrangements have also been made with my own classmates," Yukinoshita quietly admitted.

So she was embarrassed. Class 2J idolized her last I checked, and she took that for granted.

"Even a few of my senseis have asked that I manage whatever issues I come across with the curriculum through my own means from now on," Yukinoshita continued to admit.

What was there to say? I'm sorry you were turned on the second your family's crimes were brought to light? I'm sorry your parents were exposed? I wasn't. If Kami-sama gave me another chance, I would do it all over again even while knowing the consequences.

However... to be judged by everyone, including _adults_, as if you were an involved conspirator all this time? That's sick. It's disgusting how society just makes it too easy to create falsehoods and eat them up. As if it can't maintain its structure without a person or group to demonize and eliminate.

"Hikigaya-kun... per your desire, I'll ask Hiratsuka-sensei to relieve you of Service Club duties and attendance. Effective immediately," Yukinoshita said monotonously.

Ah, so she was giving me an 'honorable discharge' with a beaten disposition. Clutching your arms like that isn't… necessary, you know? That you showed me this bit of vulnerability and putting yourself in such a state, despite the indifference in your voice….

Ah, I see now. I understand why it was that easy for you. It's because you truly believe we'll never meet again after today.

"I will draw up the necessary member dismissal forms for submission tomorrow morning… Thank you for your earlier tolerance and I apologize for wasting your time, have a safe evening."

She finished, bowing slightly in my direction. Her eyes were glossed over, contrasting the shame she had just shown me a minute ago.

Ah, and yet, even with her hair in a tangled mess, her uniform in need of a press, Yukinoshita still exhibited an air of… elegance. Poise and grace so obviously drilled into her as a child. No doubt to get her used to the idea of cutting people out of her life, grooming her to fit in as a cutthroat political asset for her father. Shooting for the stars with ease.

And now that future is gone, leaving her formal mannerisms almost utterly useless in interactions with the average layman, other than to _maybe_ impress them. Yukinoshita's future has been permanently grounded now that she's hated by the collective and of course she thinks I share in that hatred as well.

_Let's end things here, yeah?_

Hmph. Those words _I _thought of just a few minutes ago suddenly came back to mind, a bout of melancholy sinking in my gut. I was… compelled to not go ahead with this development at all and to make things clear with Yukinoshita instead.

Strange, this felt very… _other-worldy_?

Ridiculous. I'm just glad I wasn't seeing a shrink or they'd reserve a seat for me on the funny farm!

Could you even call this _my _voice of reason? It was more like a strange, sudden epiphany. Yet, it felt natural and so close to the truth. That walking away from this would only leave me feeling unsatisfied and—

"_Stupid_," I voiced out.

This stopped Yukinoshita in her tracks. I heard her gasp as she glanced back at me. Unsurprisingly, the girl took the insult at face value and now looked pretty defensive.

"Hikigaya-kun, please _leave_," she quietly demanded of me.

No, I'm not calling _you _stupid. But… maybe I should, since you think you have me figured out.

"Not yet. I have to point out that… you couldn't be more far off, Yukinoshita."

That did it. Yukinoshita whipped around, her hands at her sides clenched in fists, ready to dole out one hell of a blizzard.

"_What is your problem, now_? _I've given you_—"

She raised her voice at me, no doubt loud enough for even Yuigahama to hear through the door.

But I simply raised my arms at her in surrender… a wimpy action that came _naturally _to me. Ignoring that second part, Yukinsohita's storm was quelled for a moment which gave me a chance to do the unthinkable.

"Whatever it is that you think I have an issue with… isn't the case. I only view this as another difference in opinion," I calmly explained.

Not sure if that explanation was sufficient since she looked flabbergasted. Seems I really threw her for a loop there.

"Clashing opinions? That's all?" Yukinoshita asked in a tone of disbelief.

"Right."

"I'm not sure if I can even believe that's true."

I sighed at her curtness, choosing to respond with my poker demeanor. Next to self-deprecating humor, I believed it was the best communicative method of disarming someone.

"Well, that's my truth. Accept it. I'd rather not be misunderstood again," I said, looking at her pointedly. "Hence, why I called you and this offer of yours, stupid."

It appeared to have worked. Yukinoshita's guard relaxed and she was no longer glaring at me. Looking closely, it appeared she was looking at me in… shock?

No, that's wrong.

"A… A misunderstanding you say?" she asked, still looking at me with that peculiar look I couldn't discern.

"Yeah, that's about it," I said.

I tilted my head as I looked at her, as if it would help me get a better read in what she was unwittingly conveying. She looked away before I could analyze any further, taking a moment to digest this turn in our conversation.

Surprisingly, for me, I felt something akin to taking off one's winter coat upon entering a well-heated building. No—it was like resting within the family kotatsu after a long, tiresome day.

Finally unburdened and filled with warmth? Weird. I blamed it all on my guilt, even though it was a less than satisfying explanation. However, this amount of self-realization was key in helping someone like me to determine the nature of Yukinoshita's look. In fact, I confirmed it almost instantly the second she finally connected her eyes with mine again. Her pupils weren't dilated just because of the dimly-lit hallway, nor did they sparkle because I was super close to making her cry earlier.

Nah. Yukinoshita was actually, for whatever reason, experiencing a simple case of _hope_.

"So then... you take no issue with… my family being…" she stuttered, failing to finish her question.

Luckily for her, I wanted to speed things along and didn't feel like giving her a hard time again. I answered her unfinished question without any issue.

"No, they don't factor into my part of this conversation at all, if that's what you've been assuming."

"Do..." Yukinoshita started, before blinking away her widened expression. I guess she suddenly felt a little insecure after realizing how she must have looked and sounded. Try as she might to hide things, I still detected a hint of eagerness in her voice when she continued. "...Do you really mean that?"

This was getting a little repetitive and I was close to rolling my eyes. Not just at her, but at myself for failing to indulge her with a definitive answer from the start. I stepped forward, dug my hands into my pockets, and spoke clearly once again.

"Look Yukinoshita, your family problems… _shouldn't_ be anyone's business but your own. Also, If you still haven't realized I'm bad at following current trends, then don't try to assume my true opinions about others ever again."

Quite the roundabout way to say I didn't hate her, but she got the message. That's why she's taking her time processing them, right? I bet she never expected a bit of truth I shared with her to be seething like this.

Like I told Wayne, I don't believe you or even Haruno-san should be deemed guilty by association. Assigning the label of evil shouldn't always be left up to the woeful, ignorant masses. Innocents like you get caught up in the wildfire of societal condemnation.

However, the sins of your mother and father have poisoned Chiba enough to make it my business. Rather, _Huntsman's_ business. So… it's best to keep you both under my watchful eye, despite my personal beliefs. I see Wayne's point now—he was right.

In the midst of my turmoil, Yukinoshita composed herself, eyeing me all the while. I stared hard, letting her know again that I meant business, this was no lie, and we should move on already.

"I-I see."

Still stuttering your words huh?

"...Yeah."

I shrugged, trying to downplay the moment for what it was to Yukinoshita. She… found someone else other than Yuigahama who _didn't _despise her.

How touching, but I still held the opinion that me 'being there' for Yukinoshita wasn't possible. Being Huntsman for Chiba is my priority. Something I still have to work hard on and actually want to accomplish. I wouldn't know what entailed coddling a girl even if the opposite was true.

"...Thank—"

_No_. Stop.

"Don't even," I interrupted, to her confusion. I just, well, didn't feel like it was appropriate. "This was... my bad too, I guess."

Yukinoshita nodded as if she understood but it was probably more out of politeness. We just stood there after, staying silent and feeling kind of _lame _if you ask me. Neither of us knew what to do at the moment.

Was I supposed to give Yukinoshita a thumbs up or some kind of handshake? Was there a handbook for resolutions with girls, or people in general for that matter? I seriously didn't want to do anything but, if that was the appropriate cue, then I suppose it couldn't be helped…

Ah, the door behind her slid open and Yuigahama's head popped out. _Phew_. I slipped my limp hand back to my side before either of the girls noticed.

Curious Gahama seemed peeved to find me standing so close to her friend. I actually agreed with that sentiment and backed away as she spoke.

"Yukinon? Is everything alright?" she asked Yukinoshita, coming out to hold her side.

Yukinoshita smiled softly at her concern. She swiped her hair behind an ear, looking as if something was achieved.

"Yes, I believe so." She glanced back at me, her disposition unchanged. "Hikigaya-kun?"

"More or less," I responded, prompting a sigh from the airhead.

"Is Hikki staying?"

Yukinoshita took a moment to think before responding. We both waited with the _utmost_ anticipation of her decision. Well, _I_ did while Yuigahama, ever the child, sneakily stuck her tongue out at me.

"...If there are no glaring issues, it would be preferable if members attended regularly from now on. I don't believe our differences are irreconcilable," Yukinoshita said cautiously.

Ah, she was being considerate of my opinion? What a surprise. Wonder how long she'll keep this up?

"Well, perhaps _most_ of them aren't," I clarified.

Though Yukinoshita still took that as a sign of total agreement from me. She clicked her heels in place, nodding in my direction.

"Yes. Staying back until the end of today's session _is_ the best course of action, Hikigaya-kun. Your prepared tea is getting cold as well. Don't waste a... _passable_ cup."

Flattering my brewing skills? What a kind girl—hold on, is 'passable' even a compliment?! Maybe it is, in a way. I really don't know since it's the first time a girl's tasted something I've made and didn't default to 'ew gross'.

All the same, this makes all my previous reasons for leaving seem even more petty and childish. Most of them weren't even genuine and I still felt bad…

"Whatever, " I shrugged, turning to the airhead. "Unless you plan on jumping me, Yuigahama, I'm going back in to avoid the hassle of dealing with Hiratsuka-sensei later."

As expected, Yuigahama's face flushed red and she stepped forward, ready to scold me.

"J-Jump you?! W-Why do you think I'd go so far and do that?! Stupid, _perverted_ boy!"

_So loud_.

I ignored her and moved past to open the door to finish out the remaining twenty minutes as a full-fledged Service Club member again. However, sounds of heels clicking against the floor echoed just around the corner. We turned and saw our club advisor stepping towards us with a folder in hand.

I didn't expect to see her again until tomorrow. Wasn't she supposed to be busy?

"Hiratsuka-sensei," the two girls greeted her.

She was taken aback by the sight of us all, tilting her head in confusion.

"Huh? What are you three doing out here? Club time doesn't end for another twenty minutes," she said, looking over at me to find I was the only one wearing both my coat and bag. "Ha. First day back and you're already set to leave early... is there a problem?"

Neither Yuigahama nor I answered. Yuigahama was probably at a loss at what to say since she didn't know what Yukinoshita and I were talking about. A bit shocking to say the least, because she totally fits the profile of an eavesdropping girl. Good on her to defy my expectations!

Meanwhile, I just chose not to say anything and looked away from Hiratsuka-sensei's smirk. The bad taste in my mouth from earlier came back, souring my mood. I know I said I'd stay, but this changes things just for today. Oblivious to my mood, Yukinoshita stepped up.

"It's nothing that hasn't been resolved, Hiratsuka-sensei. What brings you here?"

Again, Hiratsuka-sensei was surprised and it was most likely because of _who_ answered her question. The former mute. From the corner of my eye, I saw Hiratsuka-sensei smile at Yukinoshita's bluntness, even taking a swift glance at me for some odd reason. The moment quickly passed, however, and her expression became serious before addressing us again.

"Well, while I have you out here, Yukinoshita, I have some news concerning you… and the Service Club that you may want to hear privately."

Now I knew that was cue for Yuigahama and I to give them some privacy, but Yukinoshita shook her head.

"If it's a request, or anything concerning the club then…" Yukinoshita breathed deeply, gesturing to the club room. "I don't mind if we all hear about it inside."

"Yukinon…"

Yuigahama embraced Yukinoshita for the hundredth time today. Though somehow the magical emotions of their skinship hadn't ever died down! Not wanting to spoil the mood, the latter lightly reciprocated her friend's hug. Of course, they turned to me with an expectant look on their faces.

"...If it's important, better to just get this over with," I responded.

I opened the door and waved for them all to go inside before me. The two girls were surprised by this but they complied with Hiratsuka-sensei in tow, who I still didn't look at.

Once they all got inside I made a 180 and attempted to leave at once! Sadly, my plan failed before I could even execute a sprint. The hem of my coat was pulled back by immense, masculine strength that was _very_ unbefitting of a woman.

Figures.

"_Nice try_. Sit down, Hikigaya," Hiratsuka-sensei said scoldingly, flicking at my head which I did not appreciate.

I wiped away where she touched and begrudgingly sat down, met with the girls giving me deadpan looks.

"Oh Hikki…"

"Even after all that blustering…"

Leave me alone…

"Tch. You should expect this by now," I mumbled, to myself really.

We all got resettled with Yukinoshita offering Hiratsuka-sensei a seat and a cup of _my _tea. After a few sips, we all looked expectantly at our _dear _leader but she regressed once again, choosing to babysit her teacup instead. Clearly she was nervous about this particular set of news. Personally, I believe this is going to be the norm for quite a while. It'll take time to see the old Ice Queen come back in full swing.

Time for Yuigahama, Haruno-san and Hiratsuka-sensei, that is.

"That ponytail looks pretty on you, Hiratsuka-sensei!" Yuigahama shamelessly _flirted_ with the woman in front of her own 'BFF' and myself.

I mean, not that I had any stake in this at all…

"Oh you think so?" Hiratsuka-sensei smiled, brushing her fingers along the 'tail' part. "Thank you, I sort of made it on the fly after _someone_ gave me a rude comment this morning."

Wonder who that could've been. Hmph, seems like Yukinoshita had a clue. She needlessly placed a fist underneath her chin like a detective would, before softly giving us her two cents.

"...I'm certain much could be said about the other person's appearance. The shabbily dressed _do _tend to reassure their own insecurities."

Oi, get run over you two. Smirking to yourselves while sipping on my tea like a couple of Gaijin dolts. It's a bit easy to imagine you two as a spoiled duchess and a useless queen—I bet you two would fit just fine in _Igirisu_.

"Yeah I, like, have never seen Hikki wear his bolo tie," Yuigahama cheerfully added.

_Thanks_ for that, Yuigahama.

"Of course _you_'_d_ be the one to dismiss subtlety and just outright name the person in question…" I muttered.

While I discreetly adjusted the loose top button of my shirt, they went on about different hairstyles and necessary accessories. It seemed to me they were trying to prolong things from ever reaching the main point of Hiratsuka-sensei's arrival. Tiptoeing around it with meaningless conversation.

That said, there was _one _bit that caught my attention.

"Stores require hair accessories to remain unused for hygienic purposes, Yuigahama-san," Yukinoshita explained.

"Yeah I know but, like, I saw a _really_ cute black scrunchie like Hiratsuka-sensei's the other day, but I didn't buy it because I didn't know how my hair would look with it."

Hiratsuka-sensei chuckled at Yuigahama's comment.

"_Cute_ huh? That's a little amusing to hear considering the actual owner of this scrunchie I'm _borrowing _is my workaholic cousin."

Your cousin?

"Ehh, cousin?" Yuigahama thought out loud.

Could it be...

"She's one big worry wart of a police captain. Diving deep into her job nowadays, given China's state," Hiratsuka-sensei explained. "Last night was her first night off in a long while, so we spent it together in my apartment drinking, catching up, watching ani—_dramas_, um, drinking…"

Both of my fellow club members gave her sheepish, judging looks. It also felt like Hiratsuka-sensei made that second part of her explanation towards me. Her voice suddenly got oddly terse and loud, after all, but _who_ she spoke of was more on my mind.

Captain Yin Etsudo. My new partner on the force. So last night sensei was entertaining _her _and not… anyone else.

Relief washed over me and I tasted… strawberries? Not sure why. Perhaps I was just happy to hear Hiratsuka-sensei was safe the whole night, hanging out with an armed cop. Yeah, that had to be it.

"Hikigaya met her before, actually," Hiratsuka-sensei mentioned, bringing me back into the conversation.

I'd be careful with that. Don't want these two getting the wrong idea since I met her once when you brought me to your relative's wedding. Luckily, we met again after each one of Lady Comedy's attacks. Those are better, more _optical_ tales to tell.

Also way better than admitting I chose her to be Huntsman's insider for the Chiba Prefectural Police Department just last week. That's for sure.

"Captain Yin Etsudo? Yeah, I was grateful for her help after both of the attacks in school. Great detective, though… your little spiel just now about what you two were up to last night has slightly lowered my image of her," I said in a tone lighter than I intended.

"Eh? Unwinding every now and then is normal and what do you mean 'only slightly'? Got a huge crush on her or something, Hikigaya?" Hiratsuka-sensei shamelessly asked of me, her brows furrowed with scrutiny.

"_No_," I responded gruffly. The hell's her problem?

Whatever the issue was, it subsided once Hiratsuka-sensei's inquisitive gaze had softened. She went on to stare at nothing in particular before speaking with a noticeably higher pitch to her voice.

"Well, that's good, then."

If you say so.

"Right."

…

What's with this air we created? I didn't like it all. Yuigahama was dumbfounded again whilst Yukinoshita appeared… downcast. Ah, it seems she had something to add?

"Captain Yin Etsudo… I remember her from recent news specials. She's the one who officially placed my parents under arrest," Yukinoshita said calmly.

Well now you've done it, Hiratsuka-sensei. Better fix it before Yuigahama jumps you or something.

"Yukinoshita, I'm sorry for bringing her up. I wasn't thinking," Hiratsuka-sensei apologized.

Yukinoshita gathered herself before meeting Hiratsuka-sensei's eyes. They held no sadness or resentment. In fact, she even graced her with a tiny smile.

"...It's fine. I've no desire to place any blame on your family, not when you've been… helpful."

Yukinoshita's words were slow, but earnest. Unlike before, however, Hiratsuka-sensei could not produce a smile of her own in return. Only a look of remorse that seemed to swell as she clutched the inner pocket of her lab coat.

It was time to move things along, but our president stayed silent after.

"Um, I'm sorry but, you said you had news for Yukinon, Hiratsuka-sensei?" Yuigahama asked in her stead.

Hiratsuka-sensei appeared to wait for Yukinoshita to address her, now knowing what the latter was capable of again. Yukinoshita soon realized this and gathered herself—putting her _passable_ cup of tea down and sitting up. Asking about news with the potential to hurt you took effort, after all.

"...You mentioned this had something to do with me, specifically?"

Yeah get to it, sensei. We're _all_ dying to know.

"Yukinoshita, I'm sorry to say this was dumped onto my lap only a few hours ago. Actually, everything regarding this completely slipped my mind for the past week because of recent events." Hiratsuka-sensei finished prefacing.

I could feel that last bit was directed at me. I don't know, must have been that _same_ sneak glance she made in my direction for the hundredth time today.

"Does it have to do with my… standing here?" Yukinoshita asked.

Hiratsuka-sensei's eyes softened, shaking her head no.

"You're not being expelled or suspended, Yukinoshita. Your academic record is excellent, I don't believe they'd ever force you to leave. No, rather it's something that's been set in stone _despite_ everything last week."

"What?" I outright asked. But Hiratsuka-sensei continued staring only at Yukinoshita. She breathed deeply once, finally ready to divulge the news as gently as she could.

"Yukinoshita, the votes, the election votes, many of which were submitted early in advance weeks ago, have been accounted for and recorded. Officially, as of tomorrow, you will be announced as the next Student Council President."

What?

"Y-Yukinon won?!" Yuigahama cried out, scraping her chair against the floor.

She and Yukinoshita looked just as astonished as I felt over this development. The damn student council elections felt so trivial compared to the scandals and crime surge. I delved into my work and it became irrelevant. Isshiki's request about it fell to the wayside when she vanished too. Did I even participate in…

_Right_. I do recall submitting my vote for Yukinoshita a couple of weeks ago but, again, I just forgot about it during my week off from Sobu. The hell is wrong with me? How could I forget such a thing?

Nevermind that, Yukinoshita is—

"She won by default, as it had become an uncontested election," Hiratsuka-sensei calmly explained, taking out that folder from earlier from her lab coat. "All the other candidates formally dropped out before the deadline. Even then, she had won enough votes from the student body to validate the process as a whole."

The files within the folder she handed over weren't easy to see from my seat, so I got up for a closer look after Yuigahama.

The counted ballot results, Yukinohita's initial self-nomination, and some fancy documents notarized by the faculty and higher ups. There was also a freshly printed Student Council handbook with her name on it.

'Yukinoshita Yukino, Student Council President' it read.

Yeah, that was as official as it could get. Yukinoshita anxiously sifted through each document, downcast and in utter disbelief.

I was missing some context here because Hiratsuka-sensei and I can reasonably say 'we forgot' while Yukinoshita couldn't at all. She waged a serious campaign in the past few weeks leading up to today's results, so why the disbelief? You were always the favorite to win and even Hiratsuka-sensei asked me more than once how I'd react to the inevitability.

Sure Yukinoshita's reputation has reached an all time low, but that's only a recent development. Not enough time for people to vote for someone else in a concerted effort. Well, not unless the other candidate was as popular as—

I turned myself towards _exactly_ who could have run away with the election instead of Yukinoshita, after the scandals broke out.

"Oi Yuigahama, weren't you in the run as well?" I asked her.

Yuigahama gave me a piercing look, only withdrawing it when our unexpected stare contest went on for too long and ended in both sides feeling awkward.

She coughed a few times and so did I, as if we were brokering a truce. Thank Kami-sama. Even Hiratsuka-sensei took a moment away to mouth at us to get a grip.

"I didn't need to run anymore," Yuigahama finally responded.

I see. No, not really.

"So you gave up?" I asked bluntly.

"Yeah, um, you could say that. I also dropped out because my friends weren't really together at the time, but—"

"_So did I_," Yukinoshita interrupted, sounding despondent. "Hiratsuka-sensei, th-this is impossible! I submitted a formal request to drop out of the election last Monday. I-I…"

Yukinoshita broke off, looking down at her empty tea cup. From the angle where I was standing, I saw her eyes get red with droplets coming out. Tears of anger? Despair? Both?

Now her surprise made sense. I couldn't imagine what was going on in her head. Campaigning hard for a position then quitting at the last minute for obvious reasons, only to still receive it in the end...

"That's right! I was there with Yukinon when she dropped off her paper in the main office, right before club time!" Yuigahama added in a good earnest tone.

"Yes, then we ran into nee-san right after. Hiratsuka-sensei, I may not have explicitly informed you but I… I'm not lying, I-I can't—"

Ahh, so when I entered the club room last Monday, that was one of the reasons for your tearful session. The one that caused me to check out of Sobu for the rest of the week. You had dropped out of the race, giving up something you truly desired, because of your family's ruined reputation…

Yuigahama embraced the stuttering, broken girl. Still standing, I created some distance, keeping my eyes on those documents and my hands in my pockets. Hiratsuka-sensei too got up from her seat, gently placing her hand on the crying girl.

"Relax, Yukinoshita. I believe you, I swear I do. You're the last person I'd expect to forget something like this," Hiratsuka-sensei professed in a warm, motherly tone. "However, neither I or any of the other counselors received any such notice in our inboxes as we did with the other drop out requests."

"Clerical error…" I weakly offered.

Really now? Well, I'm not accusing Hiratsuka-sensei of any strong-arming. But for Yukinoshitas's drop out request to have been lost like that, had to have been caused by some external influence. Why even respect the outcome? I mean, from a PR standpoint, who in their right mind would let Yukinoshita represent Sobu during these times?

Did someone have an agenda? I couldn't think of any… it really was more believable to think the form was lost, even if it was only hers that slipped through the cracks.

It took Hiratsuka-sensei the remaining amount of club time to explain why her hands were tied. It took even longer for her and Yuigahama to calm Yukinoshita down.

The whole thing was fishy. For example, it made no sense how Hiratsuka-sensei's sensible protests were shot down. The higher ups, for some unexplained reason, were vehement about following through with the elections results. There _had _to be something to uncover from this. I'll have to do some sleuthing later, no, tomorrow.

I excused myself after staying fifteen minutes over club time, barely acknowledged as Yukinoshita was still Yuigahama and Hiratsuka-sensei's top priority.

At the bike racks, I was met with the green eyes of the blonde girl who promised she'd make me come with her dumbly named walk-home group. I figured they would have left already, but apparently Yuigahama had texted her an excuse for me and they chose to wait things out.

It didn't matter, I hardly even remember my first "official" walk with the loud members of 'BTS' other than separating at the station. Everyone else had broken into groups, going in different lines, while I rode my bike the rest of the way home, promising Totsuka I'd keep him updated. Even at home, my mind was back towards the club room in Sobu and how this new development would affect things to come.

I was eating my dinner around six, preparing my mind for another night patrol, when I received a text from Yuigahama.

She was surprisingly conciliatory with her words. I was thanked for not quitting, for staying as long as I did, and for walking with her friends. Apparently Yuigahama and Yukinoshita left ten minutes after I did, driven by a new chauffeur hired by Haruno-san. She was sleeping at Yukinoshita's apartment for the night.

I texted her update to Totsuka, hoping he'd forward it to Miura and everyone else in my stead.

A sigh escaped me as I turned off my phone for the night. My feelings were still unclear and only words I repeated before came to mind. Something that is certain to come true after today.

"And so ends the Service Club."

* * *

_**Yukinoshita Yukino**_

The sky was filled with a myriad of yellows and reds, adorned with thin, silky clouds that only intensified its beauty. This was the perfect conclusion for a day I will never forget.

It was of some comfort that the view from up high this old tree gifted me with a longer view of the falling sun—if only this was my plan from the start. Truthfully, I had been goaded to climb up here myself by Nee-san, insisting Pan-san would be both happy and proud.

I clutched my cute bear tight, hoping nee-san would come back soon with help. She had her fun for a couple of moments, but I teared up in fear of climbing down and she quickly dashed away.

I don't understand why she would trick me in the first place. Surely a family picnic in the park should have been fun enough. At least, it was for me.

No dumb Hayat—_Hayama_-kun. New, pretty sundresses as gifts. Otou-san off work for once, Okaa-san proudly serving us her delicious katsu sandos and black tea… what more could I ask for?

In what felt like seconds, the night had overtaken the sky and there was no nee-san in sight. What appeared to be a flock of crows settled high above in the same tree I occupied. They were a quiet bunch, none of them 'cawing'. In fact, I only heard the flap of their wings and talons scrape against the branches. I hugged Pan-san even tighter as I saw a few of them move strangely across the bark—

"Yuki-chan!"

Pan-san and I turned carefully in place to the source of the voice. Relief washed over me the second my family was in my line of sight.

Otou-san, so tall, so handsome, led the charge towards my tree with the others in tow. Okaa-san, the most beautiful woman I've ever known, one hand clutching the hem of her yukata, the other pulling nee-san alongside her.

"Yukino! Sit still! Your father will get you down soon enough," she demanded of me. Demanding, but also wrought with worry. "Really, Haruno, you're bound to rip my heart one of these days with these needless _pranks _of yours!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

I giggled to myself. Nee-san may have looked remorseful, but she'd still receive a well deserved scolding later.

Extra lessons too, hopefully.

"Laughing I see. So you aren't hurt?" I was asked by Otou-san, who reached my branch that took me a while to climb up to, in a matter of seconds!

I smiled, shaking my head no. Otou-san smiled back, his usual stern gaze vanished as his icy blue eyes were overcome with relief.

He outstretched an arm and I readily grabbed on to it, getting pulled close to his chest. Like many times before, I felt confidence in my father's great strength in bringing us both to safety. Though I am sorry it came at the cost of dirtying his nice shirt.

"Remember, Yuki-chan. You should be careful when Haru-chan, or anyone else for that matter, tries to trick you into some action. Alright?" Otou-san whispered to me.

He was always by my side, egging me on to learn from experiences like this. He did so, knowing I wanted to match nee-san one day.

I embraced him even tighter. "Okay..."

Soon enough we were down on the ground. Okaa-san looked over me, brushing leaves away from my hair and specks of dirt on my cheek with her sleeve. Once she was satisfied, her violet gaze softened and I was awarded with a wink. My cheeks felt warm and I'm certain I was as red as a tomato.

I suppose being 'cute' wasn't all that terrible, if it meant growing up as the spitting image of Okaa-san, like relatives believed I would.

We made our way to the designated parking lot, just over a couple of hills alongside the road. To my surprise, nee-san had wordlessly walked over to my side and pet my head. She did nothing else and remained silent as we walked on.

I know Okaa-san and Otou-san would make her verbally apologize to me later, but it brought me more joy to know she would mean it this time.

Seconds later however, dread washed over me when I realized something was missing.

"W-Wait!" I yelped, gaining everyone's attention. "I left Pan-san behind!"

Okaa-san sighed, no doubt she was disappointed that I would be so forgetful of my belongings.

"It was old anyway, Yukino. We can purchase you a new one," she said.

Sadly, there was no use in arguing that. Once Okaa-san made a decision, it was final. Unless…

One glance from me and Otou-san stepped up.

"It's fine, I'll retrieve it."

"Daishi not again, your clothes are already _filthy_—"

"Yes and they'll join 'Pan-san' and Yuki-chan's sundress in the wash when we return home. Don't fret, I'll be back in a moment."

Nee-san rolled her eyes as Otou-san sprinted back towards the tree. I felt Okaa-san lightly pinch my cheek.

"You're becoming _dangerous_, Yukino," Okaa-san told me with a smile. "Oh, what I'd give to have pretty doe eyes like yours and Haruno's…"

"For… work?"

"_Precisely_."

Okaa-san hid a scary, mischievous smile behind her clean sleeve, making nee-san turn the other way.

"_Get away from me_!"

My father's baritone voice boomed from across the now empty, pitch black park. We were shaken to our cores when we heard what sounded like him _screaming_.

Otou-san. _Screaming_.

Okaa-san was the first to recover. She gripped her side in search of an object. Remembering nee-san and I, she pointed towards the parking lot with her free hand.

"Haruno, take Yukino to the car. If we're not back in two minutes, you run away and find someone with a phone!"

"B-But—"

"_Now_! Do as I say!" Okaa-san roared at her before rushing towards the tree.

Nee-san pulled me by the arm to do as mother commanded, tears running down her eyes. I joined in too, terrified.

"_Daishi_!"

We heard Okaa-san cry out, followed by two loud cracks in the air. Like someone had set off fireworks, but nothing had burst up into the night sky.

Only another blood-curdling scream reached us. Then silence.

"Okaa-san!" I cried out.

I pulled my hand away from nee-san and ran to the tree, ignoring her cries for me to come back.

I was quickly surrounded by a mysterious fog, the way towards the tree felt much longer than before. But I pressed on, nee-san's cries snuffed out.

Finally, I found the familiar old black pine tree that I had carelessly climbed up with Pan-san.

At its base were my mother and father, lying still on top of each other. Their faces were contorted with pain and horror—neither of them breathing.

It took me a good second to realize they… they were both _split_ at the waist. _Their insides were spilled out_!

And yet, I ran towards them, crying all the while—no rationale behind this action. I was in pure denial, horrified by the image before me.

"O-Otou-san…"

I brushed his hair to the side, as he always did out of habit. No response.

Yet, a guttural sound came from his chest, where my mother laid.

I turned quickly to her, filled with hope.

"Okaa-san!"

Silence.

I found her hand, the same one she used to pinch my cheek just a few minutes ago. I squeezed it as hard as I could, desperate for a response.

"Oka-Oka… _Okaa-san_, _please_," I begged.

But nothing else came and I was too useless to have done anything about it. No will, no initiative from their own child—

I opened my mouth, thinking I would scream, but instead I retched up everything Okaa-san had prepared for the picnic. I managed to turn away from their bodies the second I began, only to end up mixing my expulsions with the streams of maroon _pouring_ out of them.

_No_!

I tried hurtling myself away, only to end up slipping on the dampened grass and landing on the foul mixture. The white sundress Okaa-san picked out for me was completely painted red by the pool of blood.

It was an agonizing sight and the smell—the _taste_…

I vomited once again, but was _thankful_ for the reaction this time. My vision blurred with tears that wouldn't stop gushing out of my eye sockets.

Eventually, they did stop. Soon I had nothing left to expel but sobs, which became less and less dramatic.

Okaa-san and Otou-san were gone.

Nee-san, where is she? What is she doing now?

Even if I found her… even if she found me…

Did she even possess the will to do what obviously must be done now?

Nee-san has never truly listened to me before. Now that she has to fulfill the duties of the presumptive _heiress_… that dismissiveness of hers will increase tenfold.

Leaving me alone in a world that's shown me nothing but insincerity because of my looks, my talents, and birthright.

Leaving me… hollow.

But no more.

No more crying.

This hole _can _be filled and much more with an all-consuming, beautifully sincere sin of _wrath_.

My new desire.

"I… want…"

A new lifeline.

I stood up, looking at the full white moon that rose in place of the fallen sun. A few steps towards it gave the impression that it doubled in size. I placed my heart's desire in the palm of hand and reached towards it. My declaration concluded.

"_Revenge_."

I swiped at the moon—the celestial body turned crimson red upon doing so! This was unexpected and drained me of my confidence, replacing it with dread.

It felt like I did, or rather said, something inexcusable. A forbidden promise.

Suddenly, my ears picked up what sounded like a thousand flapping wings coming towards me from behind.

The crows from earlier! They soared down from the black tree, arcing at the last second toward my direction. They surrounded me, nipping at every bit of my exposed skin. I tried, but failed to fight them off, crashing down again on the grass into a feral position.

It wasn't until one of them bit down _hard _on my ring finger that I finally opened my eyes, garnering a quick look at the animal that did so.

Beady eyes. Long ears. Pig's snout.

They were _bat_s.

_No_. _Not again_. _Stay away_!

I plastered my face against the ground, covering myself with my arms. Frozen in place. The bites didn't let up and I felt my blood pour from multiple wounds.

I dared not to fight again. The feelings behind my declaration were gone with the wind. Especially now that, even whilst still cowering in a ball, I felt that _demon_ hovering over me.

"_Get up_, _now_," I heard his distorted voice aggressively command.

The bats had vanished. I peeked from my place on the ground, seeing a large, oily shadow stride towards me. Knowing there was no use in fighting, I attempted to stand but struggled with the pain. My compliance proved too slow for his liking and he gripped my forearm, clawing at it deeply.

I cried as he swung me up and pinned me against the black tree. I was held up by shoulders, feeling unfathomable _pain_ as he dug into my skin again and bashed my body back and forth.

My arms dangled, blood still gushing out—my feet not once touching the solid ground. All I could do was cry, hoping that the more tears I amassed, the less I could see of those two _vile_, _horrifying_ crimson red eyes.

I gagged relentlessly, on my own blood and saliva. I received no mercy and was as helpless as ever.

Finally, as expected, the demon held me still and repeatedly sunk his _fangs_ deep into the crook of my neck. A variety of sensations enveloped my entire body—fear above all else. With every bite, he deigned to spat out my family name. The name I was once _proud _to hold.

_Yukinoshita_.

Please.

_Yukinoshita_.

Stop this.

"_Oi_, Yukinoshita!"

A low-pitched voice boomed into my ear. My eyes opened too quickly, struggling to withstand the sudden burst of light upon doing so. It was difficult to control my breathing as I fought off the desperate need to fill my lungs. My backside had been pushed against something solid and I quickly realized I was sitting down.

Sitting down. Being where?

I trembled, the glowing red eyes flashing in my head for a second. I blinked the vision away, checking my surroundings to confirm that I was no longer _there _anymore, when something caught my eye.

A wrinkled male Sobu uniform, sans bolo tie. I cautiously looked up to the boy's face. Our eyes connected and I was surprisingly rewarded with a familiar harsh gaze. The person I least expected to see today, or ever again for that matter. I didn't believe in Yuigahama-san's text messages, but here he stood in defiance.

Sobu High School's resident top loner.

"...Yo," he greeted, nodding once at me.

Hiratsuka-sensei's favorite student.

"H-Hiki…"

Hikigaya-kun.

* * *

**A/N: **I want to clarify something here. Yukino's nightmare, before Huntsman shows up, is intended to be based on an memory from her childhood. I hope most of you understand _why _Hachiman was being harsh with Yukino in this chapter for the most part. Not sure if I could have it more obvious, but let me know if you have a different opinion of execution. Huntsman stuff coming up next chapter. Infiltration of that warehouse mentioned all the way back in chapter 2, along with a DC character if all goes well. Some rude person. I hope you don't chew off my head with the choice words I'll make that character speak out. Thanks for reading and feel free to make suggestions of things you'd like to see.

Been loving Season 3 so far. Hope you guys have been too.


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